Excerpt from The Mystery of Life
The acknowledged classics of English literature are many, and the number of those works which are worthy of being ranked among the classics grows from year to year. Whosoever would know the best that has been written in our tongue, can scarcely begin his acquaintance too soon in his own life after he has learned to read. Nor can he be too careful about the new members he admits to the circle of his book friendships.
The gardener may have prepared his ground with scrupulous and rigid care, but unless he follows his planting with unremitting vigilance, the labor of preparation will have been in vain. A few days of neglect and the garden will be smothered in weeds. Profitable knowledge of the best in our literature must be sought with like vigilance and patience. The taste for it should be implanted early and when established must be cultivated and maintained with constancy. It should also be intelligently adapted to increasing years and widening experience.
The first few books in the Golden Classics have been chosen as the foundation for a permanent and more extended series. They have been taken from the writings of acknowledged Masters of the English tongue. Among these immortals are Irving, Dickens, Ruskin, Longfellow, and Goldsmith; no names in English literature are more beloved and honored.
More vital even than their great worth as literature, these selections have, in eminent degree, that wonderful quality of the works of human genius which stimulates the imagination of the reader, refines his taste, broadens and deepens his love of letters, inspires him with generous sympathy for all that is uplifting, and quickens his aversion toward all that is trashy or in any way unworthy.
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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. Это и многое другое вы найдете в книге The Mystery of Life (Classic Reprint) (John Ruskin)