Project Gutenberg's Birdseye Views of Far Lands, by James T. Nichols

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Title: Birdseye Views of Far Lands

Author: James T. Nichols

Release Date: March 16, 2009 [EBook #28340]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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BIRDSEYE VIEWS OF FAR LANDS

_by_

JAMES T. NICHOLS

Author of "Lands of Sacred Story," "The World Around," etc.

Published by
JAMES T. NICHOLS
University Place Station
DES MOINES, IOWA

Copyrighted 1922

[Illustration: JAMES T. NICHOLS]

INTRODUCTION

Birdseye Views of Far Lands is an interesting, wholesome presentation of
something that a keen-eyed, alert traveler with the faculty of making
contrasts with all classes of people in all sorts of places, in such a
sympathetic way as to win their esteem and confidence, has been able to
pick up as he has roamed over the face of the earth for a quarter of a
century.

The book is not a geography, a history, a treatise on sociology or
political economy. It is a _Human Interest_ book which appeals to the
reader who would like to go as the writer has gone and to see as the
writer has seen the conformations of surface, the phenomena of nature
and the human group that make up what we call a "world."

The reader finds facts indicating travel and study set forth in such
vigorous, vivid style that the attention is held by a story while most
valuable information is being obtained. The casual reader, the pupil in
the public school and student in the high school, professional men and
women, will all find the book at once highly interesting and
instructive. In no other book with which I am acquainted can so much
that is interesting be learned of the world in so short time and in such
a pleasing way.

Teachers in rural schools will find the book especially helpful. It will
inspire the pupils in the upper grades in these schools to do some
observation work themselves and to in this manner seek to learn their
own localities better, while at the same time it will suggest