ANIMAL AUTOBIOGRAPHIES 



PUBLISHERS' NOTE— continued. 



the life-stories of animals, and each will be written out of the 

 fulness of first-hand knowledge by an author who has made the 

 particular animal of his choice a familiar friend, and has earned 

 the right to be its spokesman. Thus, though the series is 

 designed for boys, it is probable that many adults will be attracted 

 by the freshness of the books, and will find in them much that 

 they did not know before. Children who have outgrown fairy- 

 tales undoubtedly prefer this form of story to any other, and a 

 more wholesome way of stimulating their interest in the living 

 things around them could hardly be found. The auto- 

 biographical form was chosen after careful consideration in 

 preference to the newer method of regarding an animal 

 subjectively, because it is the first aim of the series to depict 

 the world as it is seen through animals' eyes, and it is not 

 possible to do this realistically unless the animal himself tells 

 the story. Who but friend Samuel, for instance, the rat of 

 Mr. Hewett's story, could describe his sensations in his home 

 beneath the waving corn? Who but Kahwa the bear could 

 account for that insatiable curiosity which so often led him 

 into danger .^^ The books will be splendidly illustrated with 

 a series of illustrations in colour drawn by artists of repute 

 and reproduced by a process that Messrs. Black have done 

 much to make popular. The first Autobiography of the 

 series will be "The Rat," by G. M. A. Hewett, the well- 

 known author of " The Open-Air Boy." Mr. Hewett speaks 

 of the Rat as my mos^ inrimate friend." "The Rat" 

 will, as in nature, be followed by " The Dog," whose story 

 will be told by G. E. Mitton, the General Editor of the 

 series, and author of "The Children's Book of London." 

 The Bear, the Fox, and the Squirrel are now being inter- 

 viewed by, their spokesmen, and their autobiographies will follow 

 in due course. 



PUBLISHED BY ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK • SOHO SQUARE • LONDON • W. 



