St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1856-08-30
Robert Sears Publications.

ant occasion to know, for sevcra
I years past in the preparation and pub
lication of various works, for thu
amusement and instruction of the
masses of the people. These works
present a great variety in their top
les and mode of treatment. Theology
History, Antiquities, Personal Biogra
ply, Popular Science, Health and Do
nestle Economy, not to mention other
themes, have claimed his attention
and been discussed with fullness
and clearness which every reader will
not fail to acknowledge. More than
a dozen works have his imprint, and
bear the evident impress of his tai.
ents and industry. Mr.. Sears works
have been so long before the public,
and are now SO generally known, that
it might seem almost needless to say
anything in their behalf. Yet the fact
that his books are not offered for sale
in the general market, but are sold
almost entirely by agents, and this
other fact that we think his works,
though quite popular, have not been
duly estimated, may warrant word
of commentator from us.
Among the features which charac-
tcrize Mr.. Sears Publications, and
which we think to be excellencics, is
the moral purity of their sentiments
While cleaning from thousand sour
ces for the entertainment and i'm
provement Of the young, we do not re-
member a single line which, in this
regard, Mr.. Sears might wish to blot
This trait of his works, in an age
where thoroughfares are deluged, and
booksellers shelves are laden with
hashy novelties, and with songs that
stimulate and corrupt the young mind,
is indeed great merit. And the
praiseworthy efforts of Mr.. S. to crowd
out such reading by supplying pure
and healthful alimcnt for the mind
should meet cordial response from
all the friends of youth. "
Mr. Sears works have a practical
ain, which is another excellent trait If
them Discarding controversial top
les of Theology, avoiding the more
abstrusc aspects Of Science, and keep
clear of the speculations which pass
under the name of the philosophy o.
history he has aimed to illustrate the
Bible, to present vast amount of re
ligious knowledge, to bring natural
history to the apprehension of child
rem, and put the romance of History
; and Biography into such forms of sim
: pie and lucid narrative as would in
terest and instruct at once. In al
this he has succeeded, and has done ;
good work.
But the feature which, in our opin
ion, imparts to his works a large por
ton of the interest felt in them, ant
which has led Mr.. Sears himself to as
sign to them their peculiar name, i
: their profuse and carried Pictorial Nlu;
, trations. Let any one take up sin
. pie volume of his books, and scan an
count the pictures in it, and he will
Q wonder at the number, their aptness
: and often at their beauty. The late
works of Mr.. S. show great improve
ment in this respect. ..I-r
His illustrated Russian Empire
. which has had great sale, an
! which, by the way, is splendid book
! will compare in the beauty Of its en-
: bellishments with almost anything W
: have seen from the American pres
$ FLOR long time. Mr.. Sears jude
!, ment and taste are, in this depart
ment, remarkable.
1t may crafty our readers to know
. that Mr. Sears works have been in
: troduced into Great Britain, and ar
: exciting the same influence there tina
they have excrted in the United States
A formal presentation of a magnificen
set of the entire series was made t.
: the Queen, who received the gift gra
ciously, and commended the books
We have occasion to believe that Nj
,, S. makes generous and charitable
, use of the abundant means which hi
business gives him, and for this rea
son, if no other, he deserves the sue
cess which he is receiving. All hi
publications are for sale by Hildretl
: 4 Carver, at the st. Charles Bookstore
A shoemaker received a note from
; a lady to whom he was somewhat PAL
tial, requesting him to make her pal
I ~ ~ II