I have set three aims before me in constructing this book. First, to
introduce a new kind of documentation to those who are interested in the
contemporary state of culture whether as critics, as philosophers, as
teachers, as psychologists, or merely as curious persons. Secondly, to
provide a new technique for those who wish to discover for themselves
what they think and feel about poetry (and cognate matters) and why they
should like or dislike it. Thirdly, to prepare the way for educational
methods more efficient than those we use now in developing
discrimination and the power to understand what we hear and read. Many
of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and
before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are
republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern
editions, using the original text and artwork.