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To the Latest London Edition

As the object of all study, and the end of all wisdom, is practical utility, so a collection of the most approved Receipts, in all the arts of Domestic and Social Life, may be considered as a volume containing nearly the whole of the wisdom of man, worthy of preservation. In truth, the present volume has been compiled under the feeling, that if all other books of Science in the world were destroyed, this single volume would be found to embody the results of the useful experience, observations, and discoveries of mankind during the past ages of the world.

Theoretical reasonings and historical details have, of course, been avoided, and the object of the compiler has been to economize his space, and come at once to the point. Whatever men do, or desire to do, with the materials with which nature has supplied them, and with the powers which they possess, is here plainly taught and succinctly preserved; whether it regard complicated manufactures, means of curing diseases, simple processes of various kinds, or the economy, happiness, and preservation of life. The best authorities have been resorted to, and innumerable volumes consulted, and wherever different processes of apparently equal value, for attaining the same end, have been found, they have been introduced.

Among the works consulted have been, The Monthly Magazine, 56 vols.

The Repertory of Arts and Sciences, 60 vols.

The London Journal of Arts and Scienees.

The Transactions of the Society of Arts, 30 vols.

The Magazine of Trade and Manufactures, 6 vols.

The Gazette of Health, 9 vols.

The Series of the Horticultural Society, 5 vols.

The Series of the Agricultural Society, 30 vols.

The Farmer's Magazine, 16 vols.

YOUNG'S Farmer's Calendar.

LOUDON on Gardening, 1 vol.

JENNINGS's Domestic Cyclopædia, 2 vols.

TINGREY on Varnishing.

RICHARDSON on the Metallic Arts.

THOMAS'S Practice of Physic.

COOPER'S Dictionary of Surgery.

THORNTON'S British Herbal.

WALLER'S British Herbal.

IMISON'S School of Arts.

Handmaid to the Arts.

SMITH'S Laboratory of the Arts.

HAMILTON on Drawing.

The EDITOR'S Thousand Experiments in Manufactures and Chemistry. DAVY's Agricultural Chemistry.

HENRY'S Elements of Chemistry.

CHAPTAL'S Chemistry applied to the Arts.

GREGORY'S Cyclopædia.

The English and other Cyclopædias.

Besides innumerable treatises on special subjects, minor journals, and a great variety of manuscript communications from friends and connections of the editor and publisher. A general, rather than a scientific, arrangement has been adopted, because the object of the work is popular and universal, and, though likely to be useful to men of science, it is more especially addressed to the public at large. In like manner, as far as possible, technical and scientific language has been avoided, and popular names and simple descriptions have been preferred.

Every care has been taken in the printing to avoid errors in quantities, as well as to select the best receipts of each kind; but notices of errors, omissions, or experimental improvements, will be thankfully received by the publisher, for the use of future editions.

The Index will render it easy to refer to every article of importance.