fforts
on behalf of process engraving must also not be forgotten.

To return to the books in question, some extracts from the original
prospectus, which speaks of them as "purposed to cultivate the
Affections, Fancy, Imagination, and Taste of Children," are worth
quotation:

"The character of most children's books published during the last
quarter of a century, is fairly typified in the name of Peter Parley,
which the writers of some hundreds of them have assumed. The books
themselves have been addressed after a narrow fashion, almost entirely
to the cultivation of the understanding of children. The many tales sung
or said from time to time immemorial, which appealed to the other, and
certainly not less important elements of a little child's mind, its
fancy, imagination, sympathies, affections, are almost all gone out of
memory, and are scarcely to be obtained. 'Little Red Riding Hood,' and
other fairy tales hallowed to children's use, are now turned into
ribaldry as satires for men; as for the creation of a new fairy tale or
touching ballad, such a thing is unheard of. That the influence of all
this is hurtful to children, the conductor of this series firmly
believes. He has practical experience of it every day in his own family,
and he doubts not that there are many others who entertain the same
opinions as himself. He purposes at least to give some evidence of his
belief, and to produce a series of works, the character of which may be
briefly described as anti-Peter Parleyism.

[Illustration: ILLUSTRATION FROM "THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE."
BY WALTER CRANE (MACMILLAN AND CO. 1880)]

"Some will be new works, some new combinations of old materials, and
some reprints carefully cleared of impurities, without deterioration to
the points of the story. All will be illustrated, but not after the
usual fashion of children's books, in which it seems to be assumed that
the lowest kind of art is good enough to give first impressions to a
child. In the present series, though the statement may perhaps excite a
smile, the illustrations will be selected from the works of Raffaelle,
Titian, Hans Holbein, and other old masters. Some of the best modern
artists have kindly promised their aid in creating a taste for beauty in
little children." Did space permit, a selection from the reviews of the
chief literary papers that welcomed the new venture would be
instructive. There we should find that even the most cautious critic,