Excerpt from England in the Days of Old His volume of new studies on old-time themes, chiefly concerning the social and domestic life of England, is sent forth with a hope that it may prove entertaining and instructive. It is a companion work to Bygone England, which the critical press and reading public received with a warm welcome on its publication, and thus encouraged me to prepare this and other volumes dealing with the highways and byways of history. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.

Excerpt from Red Letter Days in Old England and New England Willie ran to the library-table, and turning over the big Dictionary read, Red-letter: red lettered; fortunate; auspicious; as, 'a Red letter Day.' 'in the Old calendars the saints' days were marked with red letters. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.

Excerpt from Around and About Old England As much of it as will make you more interested in the early days of old England, and help you to understand a little of the chain of events. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.

Excerpt from A Child's History of England In the old days, long ago, the sea roared round them just as it roars now. But the sea was not alive then with great ships sailing to and from all parts of the world. The winds and waves brought no adventurers to the islands, and the savage islanders knew nothing of the rest of the world, and the rest of the world knew nothing of them. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.

Excerpt from Old England: A God's-Eye View of a Village MY dear Omen - When I first discussed with you my idea of presenting an English village as a whole, I little guessed that it would lead me on to such an immense task. Balzac made an heroic attempt to depict the nation of his day. Despite his giant industry he needed ten lives to achieve his intention, and in these so much more. Complex days the attempt would be hopeless. It is possible, however, to portray the unit with which I have dealt and to show therein the factors and problems of the land which are basic in rural England. To do this I had to freeze my unit and exhibit it motionless. TO show it in action would take as many novels as there are characters. The village is our largest social unit, being a society in which every person knows everything about every one, and in which the whole of the members are in personal relation. Our next unit is the small market town of some 4000 inhabitants, in the least of which are a number of distinct circles; but the village, running up to 1000 souls, is a self-contained cosmos, a large family, and has no beyond. Its soul is coherent and complete. I have taken such a village at one moment during the war and endeavoured to give a camera-obscura presentment of the multitudinous intrigues, ambitions, desires, disputes, interests, and all the social, political, financial, sexual and religious factors which thread the fabric so closely. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.

Excerpt from England and the English While I write, still rings in the ears of England the parting valed'n tion of a man whose monument is the new charter of her liberties; one whom while we opposed in power we may yet honour in retirement, for his failings were precisely those which an honest politician would espose frankly, while it was time to amend them, and forget in a ge neral reverence for a high nature and noble qualities, the momenth exchanges public life for the dignified retirement of an illustrious old age. In the same pilot whom we advised, we urged, we admonished, we rebuked, amidst the shoals and quicksands which he appeared to disregard - we remember only the great storm through which he steered us, when his rest is won, and he hangs his last chaplet in the temple whence his name will not readily be cfl'aced. And ifi have spoken plainly and Openly of the errors of the late Cabinet - if I still purstl the theme, it is not without a certain reluctance; nor from any ls urgent motive than the wish that those errors should be a warning to them who come after a great man, and from whom less will be for given. It is easier to avoid his faults than to emulate his fame. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.

Excerpt from Other Days: Recollections of Rural England and Old Virginia, 1860-1880 None of the conventional apologies for a reminiscent volume, fortunately for the writer, are, in this case, called for. Neither the importunities of friends nor the problematical edi fication of descendants have anything to say to these pages. For they were written solely at the instigation and request of my publishers, who have kindly allowed me to absolve myself from any egotistic intention by dis closing the fact here. Furthermore, they were good enough to read the proof-sheets through, blue pencil in hand, at my request; and in declining to use the latter, I only hope they were discreet. My aim was to be as impersonal as the nature of the book, which is, for the most part, frankly and intentionally light, allowed. I am not at all sure that I have succeeded. But, in any case, I fancy that the scenes and characters recalled in these pages are somewhat out of the common run dealt with in books of this particular kind, which seem concerned, for the most part, with town and city life. Fortunately, too, the period covered by them closes long before the habit of writing books fell upon the author. So all temptation to drop into conventional and somewhat over beaten paths, and perhaps a worse form of egotism, is happily removed. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.