Author Description

Excerpt from Universal History: The Oldest Historical Group of Nations, and the Greeks No Apology can be needed for introducing to English readers the latest work of Leopold von Ranke. Even if the name of the author were not sufficient justification, it might be found in the fact that no similar attempt to present a connected view of Universal History exists in the English language. The scope and aim of the work, of which only a first instalment is here presented, are explained by the author in his preface. All, therefore, that is incumbent on the editor is to describe the way in which the translation has been produced, and to point out some slight departures from the original. The first half of the present volume was translated by the Rev.D. C.Tovey, Assistant Master at Eton College; the second half and the preface were translated by the editor. Both portions have been carefully revised by Mr. F.W. Cornish, Assistant Master at Eton College. The whole work when in proof was finally gone over again by the editor, who is solely responsible for the form in which it eventually appears. Great care has been taken to represent the ideas and thoughts of the author with the utmost fidelity, and even, wherever the nature of the language permits, to preserve his actual expressions. Whatever other defects may be noted, I feel confident that here, at least, the reader will seldom have occasion to complain. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfu