Excerpt from The Mastery of Books: Hints on Reading and the Use of Libraries Pains are therefore taken to provide the student at the outset with a knowledge, often lacking in older readers, of the simplest tools of his trade - reference Summary of books and catalogues. An entire chapter is chapters in given to the discussion of the nature and value 'h of that form of printed matter which makes up the bulk of the reading of the modern world - periodical litera ture. The preservation of the results of reading, whether in the memory or in written form, is considered at length, with the twofold purpose of guide and warning, and with reference to both teaching and study. With the object of prompting the student to prepare himself betimes for the wider reading demanded in scholarly research, a chapter is devoted to the study of languages, its impor tance, and its most practical methods. As an attempt to broaden the student's view of the importance of read ing, a chapter has been included on the place of the library in educational work, presenting at the same time a history of the development of the modern library idea. Courses of reading are considered, and a substitute for the older methods is suggested, the adoption of which, it is believed, will put the student into a more vital rela tion to books than was possible under the stiff and im personal system of reading courses. In connection with this new plan for the guidance of readers, there is given a classified list of about fifteen hundred works. Follow ing this is an annotated selection of titles bearing on the subject of books and reading, as a gfixfie m suds. 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.