Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-10-29

AMERICAN CYcIoP4EDia--AC Con-
PLETE LLBRARY FOR THE PEoPLE.--In
these days when so much mere trash
is issued from the press it Is refresh
ing TO look upon such q noble work As
this. That those OF our readers who
have not had an opportunity of seeing
any Of the volumes may have an idea
of its general plan and scope, we give
the following extract from the pub
fishers prospectus:
"The American CyclopHdia pre-
sents panoramic view OF all human
knowledge as it exists at the present
time. Ii embraces every subject that
can be thought of. IL contains an in
exhaustible fund Of accurate and prac-
tical information on art and science in
all their branches. including mechan-
les, mathematics, astronomy, philoso-
ply, chemistry and physiology; on
agriculture, commerce and manufac-
lures on law, medicine and theology;
on biography and history, geography
and ethnology; political economy,
the trades, inventions, politics, the
things OF common life, aud general
literature. The industrial arts and
those branches Of practical science
which have q direct bearing on our
everyday life are also treated with
the thoroughness which their great
Importance demands. The depart
ment of biography is full and COM
plete, embracing the lives of all emf
nent persons, ancient and modern,
including distinguished characters
still living. In history the American
Cyclopedia gives no mere catalogue of
barren dates, bur a copious and spirit
ed narrative of the principal events in
the annals of the world. In geogra-
ply 1T not only serves as a general
gazetteer, but gives interesting de-
scriptions Of the principal localities
mentioned derived from fresh and au-
thentic sources. Throughout the
whole work, perfect fairness to all
sections of the country, public men.
political creeds and religious denomi-
nations has been a sacred principle
and leading aim."
That the editors have been faithful
to the promises of this prospectus is
evident on examination Of the vol
umes already issued. When the work
Is completed it will consist of sixteen
double-column octavos Of eight hun
dred pages each, containing over thir-
ty thousand articles; and it will be
embeliished by some five thousand
cuts and numerous maps. SO inter
esting is its style that New York
critic remarks: "We have found the
continuous reading of it as entertain
ing as If 1t were o romance from the
pen Of a master" We may form some
idea of the immense cost attending
such work by the announcement of
the publishers that before issuing the
first volume they had expended over
three hundred thousand dollars; yet
the subscription price is very low, the
publishers depending for their profits
upon the immense sales which they
anticipate.
We learn to their credit that many
Of our citizens are already onithe list
Of subscribers. This work should be
in every family where knowledge is
estimated at its true value; where it
is found we may be sure that intelli-
gence will prevail, even though the
children have In other respects, very
few advantages for obtaining an edu-
cation. The little ones, first attracted
by the illustrations, soon become ca
ger readers of what is useful, and are
thus kept without trouble from the
sensational and demoraizing litera-
ture Of the day; while the adult MEM
bers of u family will find in 1t contin-
ual entertainment, and instruction.
As an exchange truly remarks:
thousands Of dollars may be expend-
ed In books selected with care, yet our
libraries will be searched i'm vain for
Information on many topics of inter-
est /; but In this Cyclopedia the whole
domain Of knowledge has been so sys-
tematized that nothing has been over
looked, and that treatises OH every
subject can be turned to as readily as
the words in dictionary. The work
might be appropriately called 1.-THE
Peoples Library bringing as it does
to the people in every farm house on
opportunity to place themselves on an
equality in intelligence with those
who have access to such public librar-
les as are found only in our large
cities, and in connection with extern
sive institutions of learning.r