PREFACE
The final or Index volume of the Popular Science Library not only increases the value of this great set, but actually multiplies it. Volume XVI is in three parts: First, the editor, Garrett Serviss, in "How to Use the Popular Science Library," describes the way the reader may enjoy and profit most from its store of scientific knowledge in connection with his everyday experiences. Then follows Arthur Selwyn-Brown's "History of Science," an excellent foundation for the study of man's achievements in his struggle to understand and turn to his own use the forces of nature. Here is a concise record of progress from the earliest times until now—discoveries and inventions past, present, and about to come.
The third part of Volume XVI occupies nearly half the book. It is the General Index, which is as complete and as practical as it is possible for an index to be. Here, then, we have sixteen volumes on science, every work agreeable to read, every work complete in itself, and all of them, including the Index, prepared by specialists, each of whom has already gained distinction in the field he covers. The Index binds the collection into a consistent whole, making every bit of knowledge in the sixteen books available to reader or student without delay.
The style employed in the Index is a standard for such material. Volume numbers are represented by the Roman numerals, i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, viii, ix, x, xi, xii, xiii, xiv, xv, xvi. Pages are indicated by figures. All topics and subtopics are arranged alphabetically.
When you read or study the Popular Science Library, keep the Index volume at hand whenever it is convenient. It will add greatly to your interest and give you a depth of insight into these matters if you can compare one author's opinions and descriptions with those of another. If you are consulting the Library as a reference collection for information on particular topics, the Index will give you volume and page for every bit of text on the subject you are considering.
The Popular Science Library is unique in the number and standing of its authors and in the care that has been taken to make it the easiest as well as the most engrossing of all scientific collections for the reader or student to use.