IV PREFACE. 



insects, hitherto neglected, will probably be made the basis of 

 an article. If the anticipated expansion in bulk takes place, 

 we do not see how we can prevent an increase in price. At 

 present, though we print three thousand, no margin of profit 

 is left, and any outlay in advertising entails a loss. 



If our readers should decide for us that we might safely 

 print even a larger issue, we would willingly increase in bulk 

 without any additional charge— but time will show. 



A year hence the cheap Edition of Kirby and S pence, of 

 which the fourth thousand is already advertised, will have had 

 time to produce fruit, and to swell our crop of readers. 



The " Times" recently, in an article on Book- Hawking, 

 asks " what becomes of the gift of reading among the labour- 

 ing poor of this country?" and then, commenting on the 

 class of books which are hawked about the country, observes, 

 " that though book-hawking may supply only the vilest 

 trash, it is in itself a natural machinery for supplying the 

 country poor with literary food. The poor will buy books ; 

 and if they have any money to spare from their household 

 expenses, little as it may be, this is a very good use of it, 

 provided the books be good. It is much better, too, that 

 they should buy books than that books should be given in 

 charity. People value what they buy a great deal more 

 than what comes to them by mere official charity." This is 

 very true. 



In another column of the " Times," of the same day, we 

 find another article on the same subject, from which we quote 

 the following : " Many there are who would turn away from 

 a professedly religious book, who might yet be tempted by 

 some useful or entertaining secular work." And this as true 

 of scientific books as of religious works. 



A writer in the " Times," a few days later, alluding to this 



