faithful mirror of the best French literature, ancient as well as modern.

The unrivalled excellence of Molière's dramas and the perfect models of familiar conversational language which they afford, have secured a place in this volume for some of the best scenes of his prose pro ductions.

La Fontaine's fables are too well known to need commendation. Their uniform excellence has rendered the task of selecting from them a matter of no small difficulty to the compiler.

The names of Fénélon, Bossuet, Racine, Montesquieu, Florian, Marmontel, and of Chateaubriand, La Mennais. Thierry, Béranger, De Jouy, Scribe, and many others of scarcely inferior note, whose writings have contributed to form the present work, will be at once a justification of its claim to rank as a classical production, and a guarantee for the superior merit and excellency of its contents.

The particular arrangement of "The Classic French Reader," with a view to its adoption as a school-book, merits a passing notice.

The publication in this country of "Ollendorff's New Method of Learning French," very soon created a demand for a French reading-book differing in its arrangement from any one previously in use. A very marked feature of Ollendorff's Methoa and ove which has contributed not a little to commend it to public favoris, that it wholly dispenses with the use cf a dictionary, thereby shortening the process of .nstruction by a great economy of time, and freeing the student from what had generally proved the most discouraging part of his task As a result of the adop tion of this new method, it was soon obvious, not that

a language can be learned without effort, but that a very considerable portion of the effort hitherto bestowed for this object had been misapplied. It was therefore requisite that a reading-book to accompany Ollendorff's Grammar should, as far as the nature of the case would admit, preserve in its arrangemen something of the adaptation to its object which had rendered the latter work so acceptable to students.

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As an elementary Reading-book for beginners, the Publishers accordingly made choice of the "Introduction to the French Language," by M. de Fivas, the compiler of the present work. The Introduction," like the "New Method," is progressive in the order of its lessons; and not only is the necessity of resorting to a dictionary obviated, by a vocabulary of all the words and phrases contained in the work, but, in addition, every mood and tense of a verb the student will meet with is explained at length, thus affording him the means of perfecting his familiarity with an impor tant feature of the grammar.

The utility of the "Introduction," and its adaptation to the wants of learners, have now been tested by experience. The principles which should goveri. in the compilation of a book for advanced students are therefore sufficiently demonstrated. In adapting the CLASSIC FRENCH READER" to the stage of instruction it is intended to occupy, it is thought the student may profitably dispense with any aid above what is usually found in a copious dictionary. The

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Vocabulary," therefore, while it embraces and defines every word used in the book, not only in its particular acceptation, but in its primary significance, contains only the infinitive mood and the participles of the verbs. Great pains have been taken to define

the idiomatic phrases, and every collocation of words that would be likely to perplex the learner. The occasional notes running through the work, designed to illustrate historical, geographical, and grammatical points, will be found of essential service in elucidating the text.

The short biographical sketches of the most distinguished French writers will be read with interest, and be found to contribute not a little to the interesting outline of the language and literature of France, which it is one of the objects of "The Classic French Reader" to supply.

The learner cannot be too earnestly urged to aim at a full and thorough mastery of all the pieces contained in this work, even at the cost of repeated reading and prolonged study. A little resolute application to attain familiarity with the great variety of style and diversity of expression it affords, will contribute more to an available knowledge of the French language than years spent in careless and desultory reading, and will leave few obstacles to be overcome by the student in his subsequent course.

As a convenient and compendious manual for stu dents, combining, in some measure, the advantages of a reading-book, lexicon, and grammar, - and thus containing within itself the means for its own interpretation, — the work is kindly commended to the favor of all who are interested in the language and literature of France.

NEW-YORK, June, 1849.

J L. JEWETT