EDWARD EVERETT HALE, JR., PH.D. NEW YORK HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 1901 Altaş 12-20-33 MEB On first thinking of this book my main principles were merely to omit the passage on “La Giaconda" and to say nothing of Pater's style. But I soon found that however well those views would do in a negative way, there had to be something more positive to begin on. I tried, therefore, in this selection to put together essays that would be characteristic in ideas and style, and which would also illustrate the very broad range of Pater's interests, as well as the different periods of his life. Keeping close to these ideas necessitated many omissions which I regret,- one should really read all Pater. The selection will, however, give an idea of his very diverse work; there are essays in general, criticism, poetry, philosophy, painting, sculpture, architecture, as well as several of those studies in criticism which he put in the form of fiction. They all come from what may be called the regular collections; the essays from the "Guardian" are mostly ephemeral comment on books that were of interest often for the moment only, and except for those on Amiel and English literature have a negative rather than a positive interest. iii |