Study and Reading 71 



office, saying, "You are to read these seriously, as a student 

 of law would read Blackstone. " 



Of Mr. Olmsted's early reading we have several accounts 

 in letters written at the time. 



There is a letter to Fred. Kingsbury in which Fred. Olm- 

 sted enumerates "Books to Read." 



Moral Philos: "Butler's Sermons," (recommended by 

 Dr. Chalmers, Sir James Mackintosh, Arnold, Pycroft and 

 others). In place of it, "Sewell's Chstn. Morals"; "Aber- 

 crombie's Philos. of Moral Feeling" (brief and comprehen- 

 sive) ; "Foster's Essay on Decision of Character." Mental 

 Philos: "Abercrombie on the Intellectual Powers, and the 

 Investigation of Truth " ; " Combe's Constitution. ' ' Politi- 

 cal Philos: "Miss Martineau's Tales, " (I suppose they are 

 to Polit. Philos. similar to Historic Novels to History); 

 "Whately" [Richard]; "M'Culloch's Principles"; "The 

 Encyclopedia ' ' (Rent, tax, etc.) ; ' ' Jefferson " ; " The Federal- 

 ist, etc. " ; Art: "Abstract of Sir Josh. Reynolds' discourses " ; 

 "Abstract of Pilkington's Lives of Painters" — (Visit collec- 

 tion in compy. with an artist) ; "Allan Cunningham's British 

 Painters" — Sculpture — Encyclopedia. British History: 

 "Socy. for Prom. Chstn. Knowledge"; "Miller's Life of 

 George HI"; "Lives of George IV and Wm. IV"; "History 

 of British India"; "Basil Hall"; "Macaulay." 



I say nothing about Poetry or Fiction or Ecclesiastical 

 Literature. I've read enough already to choose from to read 

 over again without going wrong, and I presume I can read 

 back to better advantage than I can read ahead. I say 

 nothing either about Agriculture or Law — I have a course 

 in each laid out. I expect to read on Geology, Mineralogy, 

 and Anatomy before long and Nat'l History generally as I 

 have opportunity or inclination. 



I'll thank you to give me any advice suggested to you in 

 reading the above. I have left out "Cobbett's Grammar," 

 " Whately 's Rhetoric and Logic." I have read "Burke on 



