ADVERTISEMENT. THE 'Tales from Shakspere,' by Mr. and Miss Lamb, were originally designed for the use of Young Persons. But, like several others of the best books so addressed, they have become as attractive to adults as to those for whose use they were originally intended. There is a constant exchange going on between the best books for those of mature years, and the best books for young readers. 'Robinson Crusoe' and the Arabian Nights' were not written for children; but what books can compete with them in the delight which they afford to children? On the other hand the most successful writers of books for the young have constantly had the satisfaction of finding their performances affording instruction and amusement to the maturest understandings. Who attempts to limit the perusal of Miss Edgeworth's stories, or Scott's Tales of a Grandfather,' by the years which a reader has numbered? The authors of the Tales from Shakspere,' in their Preface state, that "The following Tales are meant to be submitted to the young reader as an introduction to the study of Shakspere, for which purpose his words are used whenever it seemed possible to bring them in; and in whatever has been added to give them the regular form of a connected story, diligent care has been taken to select such words as might least interrupt the effect of the beautiful English tongue in which he wrote: therefore, words introduced into our language since his time have been as far as possible avoided." It is as 66 an Introduction to the study of Shakspere" that we offer a re-publication of these Tales, to a more numerous class than that for which they were written. But looking at this their purpose of an introduction to the study of this greatest of poets, we have now added to each Tale a few Scenes, which may be advantageously read after the perusal of the Tale, to furnish some notion of the original excellence of the wonderful dramas upon which the Tales are founded. No extract, |