FOOTNOTES:

CRITICAL NOTICES.

"All the information which the general reader needs on the subject will be found here in a very intelligible and attractive form."—N.Y. Evening Post.

"Tells about every branch of this curious manufacture, tracing its progress from the remotest ages, and omitting not one point upon which information can be desired."—Boston Post.

"A very useful and interesting book."—N.Y. Citizen.

"An extremely pleasant and useful little book."—N.Y. Sunday Times.

"The book will well repay perusal."—N.Y. Globe.

"A most interesting volume."—Portland Argus.

"Graphically told."—N.Y. Albion.

"Young people and old will derive equal benefit and pleasure from its perusal."—N.Y. Ch. Intelligencer.

Italian Art.

WONDERS OF ITALIAN ART. ByLouis Viardot. With 28 illustrations. One volume 12mo $1 50

For specimen illustration see page 23.

As a compact, readable, and instructive manual upon a subject the exposition of which has heretofore been confined to ambitious and expensive treatises, this volume has no equal. In style it is clear and attractive; its critical estimates are based upon thorough and extensive knowledge and sound judgment, and the illustrations reproduce, as accurately as wood engravings can do, the leading works of the famous Italian masters, while anecdotes of these great artists and curious facts regarding their works give popular interest to the volume.

The Human Body.

WONDERS OF THE HUMAN BODY. From the French ofA. Le Pileur, Doctor of Medicine. Illustrated by 45 Engravings byLeveillé. One volume 12mo. $1 50

For specimen illustration see page 24.

While sufficiently minute in anatomical and physiological details to satisfy those who desire to go deeper into such studies than many may deem necessary, this work is nevertheless written so that it may form part of the domestic library. Mothers and daughters may read it without being repelled or shocked; and the young will find their interest sustained by incidental digressions to more attractive matters. Such are the pages referring to phrenology and to music, which accompany the anatomical description of the skull and of the organs of voice; and the chapter on artistic expression which closes the book. Numerous simple but attractive engravings elucidate the work.

Architecture.

WONDERS OF ARCHITECTURE. Translated from the French ofM. Lefévre; to which is added a chapter on English Architecture byR. Donald. With 50 illustrations. One volume 12mo $1 50

For specimen illustration see page 25.

The object of theWonders of Architectureis to supply, in as accessible and popular a form as the nature of the subject admits, a connected and comprehensive sketch of the chief architectural achievements of ancient and modern times. Commencing with the rudest dawnings of architectural science as exemplified in the Celtic monuments, a carefully compiled and authentic record is given of the most remarkable temples, palaces, columns, towers, cathedrals, bridges, viaducts, churches, and buildings of every description which the genius of man has constructed; and as these are all described in chronological order, according to the eras to which they belong, they form a connected narrative of the development of architecture, in which the history and progress of the art can be authentically traced. Care has been taken to popularize the theme as much as possible, to make the descriptions plain and vivid, to render the text free from mere technicalities, and to convey a correct and truthful impression of the various objects that are enumerated.

Ocean Depths.

BOTTOM OF THE SEA. ByL. Sonrel. Translated and edited byElihu Rich, translator of "Cazin's Heat," &c., with 68 woodcuts. (Printed on Tinted Paper) One vol 12mo $1 50

For specimen illustration see page 26.

Written in a popular and attractive style, this volume affords much useful information about the sea, its depth, color, and temperature; its action in deep water and on the shores; the exuberance of life in the depths of the ocean, and the numberless phenomena, anecdotes, adventures, and perils connected therewith. The illustrations are very numerous, and specially graphic and attractive.

CRITICAL NOTICE.

This book is well illustrated throughout, and is admirably adapted to those who require light scientific reading.—Nature.

Lighthouses and Lightships.

LIGHTHOUSES AND LIGHTSHIPS. ByW.H.D. Adams. With sixty illustrations. One volume 12mo.Printed on tinted paper$1 50

The aim of this volume is to furnish in a popular and intelligible form a description of the Lighthouseas it isandas it was, of the rude Roman pharos, or old sea-tower, with its flickering fire of wood or coal, and the modern Lighthouse, shapely and yet substantial, with its powerful illuminating apparatus of lamps and lenses, shining ten, or twelve, or twenty miles across the waters. The author gives a descriptive and historical account of their mode of construction and organization, based on the best authorities, and revised by competent critics. Sketches are furnished of the most remarkable Lighthouses in the Old World, and a graphic narration is presented of the mode of life of their keepers.

CRITICAL NOTICES.

"The book is full of interest."—N.Y. Commercial Advertiser.

"The whole subject is treated in a manner at once interesting and instructive."—Rochester Democrat.

"The illustrations are full, and excellently engraved."—Phil. Morning Post.

Acoustics.

THE WONDERS OF ACOUSTICS; or,The Phenomena of Sound. ByR. Radau. With 110 illustrations. One volume 12mo.Printed on tinted paper$1 50

For specimen illustration see page 27.

No overweight of technicalities encumber the author's ample and exceedingly instructive disquisition; but by presenting the results of curious investigation, by anecdote, by all manner of striking illustration, and by the aid of numerous pictures, he throws a popular interest about one of the most suggestive and beautiful of the sciences. The book opens with an attractive chapter on "Sound in Nature," in which the language of animals, nocturnal life in the forests, and kindred subjects are discussed. Among the topics treated of later in the work are such as "Effects of Sound, on Living Beings," "Velocity of Sound," "The Notes," "The Voice, Music, and Science." This volume forms a valuable addition to the series.

Bodily Strength and Skill.

WONDERS OF BODILY STRENGTH AND SKILL. Translated and enlarged from the French ofGuillaume Depping, byCharles Russell. Illustrated with seventy engravings on wood, many of them full page. One vol. 12mo.Printed on tinted paper$1 50

For specimen illustration see page 28.

This is decidedly one of the most interesting volumes of the Library of Wonders. In it the author has collected, from every available source, anecdotes descriptive of the most remarkable exhibitions of Physical Strength and Skill, whether in the form of individual feats, or of national games, from the earliest ages down to the present time. The author has simply endeavored to make a collection of "Wonders of Bodily Strength and Skill," from the Literature of all countries, and if any of them may be assigned to the region of the improbable, he most respectfully refers doubting inquirers to the original sources. The grace and skill displayed in the illustrations, which are numerous and striking, make the volume singularly attractive.

Balloons.

WONDERFUL BALLOON ASCENTS. From the French ofF. Marion. With thirty illustrations on wood, many of them full page One volume 12mo.Printed on tinted paper$1 50

For specimen illustration see page 29.

This volume gives an interesting history of balloons and balloon voyages, written in an exceedingly readable and graphic style, which will commend itself to the reader.

The history of the balloon is fully narrated, from its first stages up to the present time, and the most memorable balloon voyages are herein described in a moat thrilling manner. The illustrations are exceedingly taken in character.

CRITICAL NOTICE.

"Written in a popular style and with illustrations that give completeness to the text,... beautifully illustrated, and will be a fascinating reading book, especially for the young,"—London Bookseller.

Wonderful Escapes.

WONDERFUL ESCAPES. Revised from the French ofF. Bernard, and original chapters added byRichard Whiteing. With twenty-six full-page plates. One volume 12mo.Printed on tinted paper$1 50

For specimen illustration see page 30.

This volume of the "Library of Wonders" is an exceedingly interesting addition to the series, narrating as it does in the most thrilling manner the wonderful escapes of noted prisoners, political as well as criminal. The escapes of over forty well known personages are described in this book, and their history may be relied upon as entirely accurate, obtained from official sources. Among the characters treated of we may mention Marius, Benvenuto Cellini, Grotius, Cardinal de Retz, Baron Trenck, and Marie de Medicis. A number of full-page plates picturing the prisoners in the most fearful moments of their escapes accompany the volume.

The Heavens.

WONDERS OF THE HEAVENS. ByCamille Flammarion. From the French by Mrs.Norman Lockyer. With forty-eight illustrations. One volume, 12mo $1 50

For specimen illustration see page 32.

M. Flammarionis excelled by none in that peculiar tact, which is so rare, of bringing within popular comprehension the great facts of Astronomical Science. Familiar illustrations and a glowing and eloquent style, make this volume one of the most valuable, as it is one of the most comprehensive manuals extant upon the absorbingly interesting subject of which it treats.

ALSO IN PRESS:

Wonders of Engraving,Wonders of Vegetation,Wonders of Sculpture,The Invisible World,Electricity,Hydraulics.

Due announcement of the appearance of the above new issues of this series will be given hereafter as they approach completion.

FOOTNOTES:[A]The money accruing from this sale is applied to the Pompeian library mentioned elsewhere.[B]Forsitiat.[C]These olives which, when found, were still soft and pasty, had a rancid smell and a greasy but pungent flavor. The kernels were less elongated and more bulging than those of the Neapolitan olives; were very hard and still contained some shreds of their pith. In a word, they were perfectly preserved, and although eighteen centuries old, as they were, you would have thought they had been plucked but a few months before.[D]So strong was this feeling, that the very nameinquilinus, or lodger, was an insult. Cicero not having been born at Rome, Catiline called him offensivelycivis inquilinus—a lodger citizen. (Sallust.)[E]Let not fingers that are too thick, and ill-pared nails, make gestures too conspicuous.[F]See note on page 198. (The FootnoteJof this book.—Transcriber.)[G]The learned Minervini has remarked certain differences in the washes put on the Pompeian walls. He has indicated finer ones with which, according to him, the ancients painted in fresco their more studied compositions, landscapes, and figures, while ordinary decorations were painteddryby inferior painters. I recall the fact, as I pass on, that several paintings, particularly the most important, were detached, but secured to the wall with iron clamps. It has ever been noticed that the back of these pictures did not adhere to the walls—an excellent precaution against dampness. This custom of sawing off and shifting mural paintings was very ancient. It is known that the wealthy Romans adorned their houses with works of art borrowed or stolen from Greece, and all will remember the famous contract of Mummius, who, in arranging with some merchants to convey to Rome the masterpieces of Zeuxis and Apelles, stipulated that if they should be lost or damaged on the way, the merchants should replace them at their own expense.[H]"And how the ancients, even the most unskilful, understood the right treatment of nude subjects!" said an eminent critic to me, one day, as he was with me admiring these pictures; "and," he added, "we know nothing more about it now;ourstatues are not nude, but undressed."[I]Recently, Signor Fiorelli has found another bronze statuette of a bent and crooked Silenus worth both the others.[J]A badly interpreted inscription on the gate of Nola had led, for a moment, to the belief that the importation of this singular worship dated back to the early days of the little city; but we now know that it was introduced by Sylla into the Roman world. Isis was Nature, the patroness of the Pompeians, who venerated her equally in their physical Venus. This form of religion, mysterious, symbolical, full of secrets hidden from the people, as it was; these goddesses with heads of dogs, wolves, oxen, hawks; the god Onion, the god Garlic, the god Leek; all that Apuleius tells about it, besides the data furnished by the Pompeian excavations, the recovered bottle-brushes, the basins, the knives, the tripods, the cymbals, the citheræ, etc.,—were worth the trouble of examination and study.Upon the door of the temple, a strange inscription announced that Numerius Popidius, the son of Numerius, had, at his own expense, rebuilt the temple of Isis, thrown down by an earthquake, and that, in reward for his liberality, the decurions had admitted him gratuitously to their college at the age of six years. The antiquaries, or some of them, at least, finding this age improbable, have read it sixty instead of six, forgetting that there then existed two kinds of decurions, theornamentariiandprætextati—the honorary and the active officials. The former might be associated with the Pompeian Senate in recompense for services rendered by their fathers. An inscription found at Misenum confirms this fact. (See theMemorie del l'Academia Ercolanese, anno1833)—The minutes of the Herculaneum Academy, for the year 1833.[K]M. Campfleury has reproduced this design in his very curious book onAntique Caricature.

[A]The money accruing from this sale is applied to the Pompeian library mentioned elsewhere.

[B]Forsitiat.

[C]These olives which, when found, were still soft and pasty, had a rancid smell and a greasy but pungent flavor. The kernels were less elongated and more bulging than those of the Neapolitan olives; were very hard and still contained some shreds of their pith. In a word, they were perfectly preserved, and although eighteen centuries old, as they were, you would have thought they had been plucked but a few months before.

[D]So strong was this feeling, that the very nameinquilinus, or lodger, was an insult. Cicero not having been born at Rome, Catiline called him offensivelycivis inquilinus—a lodger citizen. (Sallust.)

[E]Let not fingers that are too thick, and ill-pared nails, make gestures too conspicuous.

[F]See note on page 198. (The FootnoteJof this book.—Transcriber.)

[G]The learned Minervini has remarked certain differences in the washes put on the Pompeian walls. He has indicated finer ones with which, according to him, the ancients painted in fresco their more studied compositions, landscapes, and figures, while ordinary decorations were painteddryby inferior painters. I recall the fact, as I pass on, that several paintings, particularly the most important, were detached, but secured to the wall with iron clamps. It has ever been noticed that the back of these pictures did not adhere to the walls—an excellent precaution against dampness. This custom of sawing off and shifting mural paintings was very ancient. It is known that the wealthy Romans adorned their houses with works of art borrowed or stolen from Greece, and all will remember the famous contract of Mummius, who, in arranging with some merchants to convey to Rome the masterpieces of Zeuxis and Apelles, stipulated that if they should be lost or damaged on the way, the merchants should replace them at their own expense.

[H]"And how the ancients, even the most unskilful, understood the right treatment of nude subjects!" said an eminent critic to me, one day, as he was with me admiring these pictures; "and," he added, "we know nothing more about it now;ourstatues are not nude, but undressed."

[I]Recently, Signor Fiorelli has found another bronze statuette of a bent and crooked Silenus worth both the others.

[J]A badly interpreted inscription on the gate of Nola had led, for a moment, to the belief that the importation of this singular worship dated back to the early days of the little city; but we now know that it was introduced by Sylla into the Roman world. Isis was Nature, the patroness of the Pompeians, who venerated her equally in their physical Venus. This form of religion, mysterious, symbolical, full of secrets hidden from the people, as it was; these goddesses with heads of dogs, wolves, oxen, hawks; the god Onion, the god Garlic, the god Leek; all that Apuleius tells about it, besides the data furnished by the Pompeian excavations, the recovered bottle-brushes, the basins, the knives, the tripods, the cymbals, the citheræ, etc.,—were worth the trouble of examination and study.Upon the door of the temple, a strange inscription announced that Numerius Popidius, the son of Numerius, had, at his own expense, rebuilt the temple of Isis, thrown down by an earthquake, and that, in reward for his liberality, the decurions had admitted him gratuitously to their college at the age of six years. The antiquaries, or some of them, at least, finding this age improbable, have read it sixty instead of six, forgetting that there then existed two kinds of decurions, theornamentariiandprætextati—the honorary and the active officials. The former might be associated with the Pompeian Senate in recompense for services rendered by their fathers. An inscription found at Misenum confirms this fact. (See theMemorie del l'Academia Ercolanese, anno1833)—The minutes of the Herculaneum Academy, for the year 1833.

Upon the door of the temple, a strange inscription announced that Numerius Popidius, the son of Numerius, had, at his own expense, rebuilt the temple of Isis, thrown down by an earthquake, and that, in reward for his liberality, the decurions had admitted him gratuitously to their college at the age of six years. The antiquaries, or some of them, at least, finding this age improbable, have read it sixty instead of six, forgetting that there then existed two kinds of decurions, theornamentariiandprætextati—the honorary and the active officials. The former might be associated with the Pompeian Senate in recompense for services rendered by their fathers. An inscription found at Misenum confirms this fact. (See theMemorie del l'Academia Ercolanese, anno1833)—The minutes of the Herculaneum Academy, for the year 1833.

[K]M. Campfleury has reproduced this design in his very curious book onAntique Caricature.

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