Part 1 (1/2)

The History of a Mouthful of Bread

by Jean Mace

EXTRACTS FROM THE PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION

The volues are a translation, has been adopted by the _University Co their prize books, and has reached an eighth edition Perhaps these facts speak sufficiently in its favor; but as translator, and to soreat charm as well as merit of the little work I sat down to it, I must oith no special predilection in favor of the subject as a suitable one for young people; but in the course of the labor have becoh convert to the author's views that such a study--perhaps I ought to add, so pursued as he has enabled it to be--is likely to prove a e at which the interest of a young mind can be turned towards this practical branch of natural history is an open question, and not worth disputing about It may vary even in different individuals The letters are addressed to a _child_--in the original even to a _little girl_--and most undoubtedly, as the book stands, it is fit for any child's perusal who can find aes: while to the rather older readers, of whoreat ain in the subject having been so treated as to be brought within the comprehension and adapted to the tastes of a child, is pretty nearly incalculable The quaintness and drollery of the illustrations hich difficult scientific facts are set forth will provokepeople perhaps a tendency to feel themselves treated _babyishly_; but if in the course of the babyish treat masters of an amount of valuable infor to co readers refer to even a popular Encyclopaedia for an insight into any of the subjects of the twenty-eight chapters of this volus,” ”The Stomach,” ”Atmospheric Pressure,”--no matter which, and see how much they can understand of it without an amount of preliminary instruction which would require half-a-year's study, and they will then thoroughly appreciate the quite enuity and beautiful skill hich M Mace has brought the great leading anatomical and physical facts of life out of the depths of scientific learning, and made them literally comprehensible by a child

There is one point (independent of the scientific teaching) and that, happily, the only really ie toof the book is unexceptionable There is no strained introduction of the subject, but there is throughout the volument of the Great Creator of this ratitude e to Hi out half his wonders, even in the things nearest to our senses, and most constantly subject to observation M Mace will help, and not hinder the humility hich the Christian naturalist lifts one veil only to recognise another beyond

It will be satisfactory to any one whocorrectly translated the various scientific and anatomical statements contained in the volume, to know that the whole has been submitted to the careful revision of a rateful for valuable explanations and corrections whenever they were necessary In the sa to the difference between French and English weights and measures, several alterations of illustrations, etc, had to be made, has received similar kind offices from the hands of a competent mathematician

MARGARET GATTY

Ecclesfield, June, 1864

NOTE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION

In May '66, the seventeenth edition of this as on sale in Paris

The date of Mrs Gatty's preface, it will be observed, is June '64, and at that tihth French edition only had been reached

That it should be a popular book and coe sale wherever it is knoill not surprise any one who reads it: the only remarkable circumstance about it is, that it should not have been republished here long ere this Even this may probably be accounted for, on the supposition that the title under which the translation was published in England, was so unhtest idea of the contents of the book--that none of our publishers even ventured to hand it over to their ”readers” to examine

The author's title, _The History of a Mouthful of Bread_, while falling far short of giving a clear notion of the entire scope of the work, is shockingly diluted and less, when translated _The History of a Bit of Bread!_

To the translation of Mrs Gatty, which is in the enerally seized upon the idea of the author and rendered it with singular felicity, it may be very properly objected that she has taken some liberties with the text when there was any conflict of opinion between herself and her author, and has given her own ideas instead of his, which is, probably, what she refers to when she calls herself ”to some extent editor”

The reader of this edition will, in all these cases, find the thought of the author and not that of his translator; for the reason that a careful exainal has convinced the publisher that in every instance the author was to be preferred to the translator, to say nothing of the right an authorthese restorations, the copy from which this edition was printed has been carefully compared with the last edition of the author and a vast number of corrections made, and in its present shape it is respectfully subion, of course) who nu friends a ”_my dear child_” to present it to

I

INTRODUCTION

I a of the life and nature ofthe infor an amusement to you now

Of course, I shall have to explain to you a great enerally considered very difficult to understand, and which are not always taught even to grown-up people But if ork together, and between us succeed in getting thereat triumph to me, and you will find out that the science of learned irls, as well as more comprehensible, than it is sometimes supposed to be Moreover, you will be in advance of your years, as it were, and one day may be astonished to find that you had mastered in childhood, almost as a mere amusement, some of the first principles of anatomy, chemistry, and several other of the physical sciences, as well as having attained to soin at once, then, with the _History of a Mouthful of Bread_, although I a to talk only about that, I may save myself the trouble You know all about it, you say, as well as I do, and need not surely be told how to chew a bit of bread-and-butter! Well, but youwith you, and you have no notion what an incredible nu of a piece of bread A big book ht be written about them, were all the details to be entered into

First and foremost--Have you ever asked yourself _why_ people eat?

You laugh at such a ridiculous question