nii AMERICAN PREFACE. 



Germany, and the United States, to prepare works for the 

 series, and with Henry S. King & Co., of London, Germer 

 Bailliere, of Paris, and Messieurs Brockhaus, of Leipsic, to 

 publish them. Negotiations are pending for the reproduc- 

 tion of the series in other countries, but the present arrange- 

 ments secure to the authors the benefits of the four leading 

 markets of the worlrl 



It is a fact not without significance, that the proposal of 

 this enterprise was received with the most cordial favor by 

 the eminent scientific men who were solicited to aid m carry- 

 ing it forward. Most of them consented at once ; but, while 

 some were so heavily burdened with work that they could 

 enter into no immediate engagements, not one of them de- 

 clined to cooperate, and all promised to do so at the earliest 

 practicable opportunity. The feeling of the desirableness 

 of such an undertaking was strong and unanimous. The old 

 dislike of the cultivators of science to participate in the work 

 of popular teaching, seems very much to have passed away ; 

 and in England, France, and Germany, alike it was freely ac- 

 knowledged that savants have an imperative duty to dis- 

 charge in relation to the work of general scientific educa- 

 tion. As remarked by Prof. Virchow, of Berlin, " the des- 

 tiny of science is the service of humanity." 



It was stipulated by the authors that they should have 

 ample time for the preparation of their books, and, as the 

 arrangements were recently made, only a few of the works 

 are yet ready. Several, however, arc now in press, and will 

 shortly appear. 



Those interested in the series are under many obligations 



