
Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The hoosier school-master was written and printed in the autumn of 1871. It is therefore now about twenty-one years old, and the publishers propose to mark its coming of age by issuing a li braty edition. I avail myself of the occasion to make some needed revisions, and to preface the new edition with an account of the origin and ad ventures of the book. If I should Seem to betray unbecoming pride in speaking of a story that has passed into several languages and maintained an undiminished popularity for more than a Score of years, I count on receiving the indulgence com monly granted to paternal vanity when cele brating the majority of a first-born. With all its faults on its head, this little tale has become a clas sic, in the bookseller’s sense at least; and a public that has Shown so constant a partiality for it has a right to feel some curiosity regarding its history.