The fact that this book has survived in an expensive form the excitements of the last three years emboldens me to set a smaller and cheaper edition before the public. The original text has been reduced by nearly a third, the Appen dices have been curtailed, the illustrations have been omitted, and by these and some devices of the printer the story, which had hitherto required two heavy volumes, is now compressed into one which is lighter to handle and little more than a quarter of the price to buy. What has been jettisoned consists mainly of personal impressions and opinions, often controversial in character, which, however just, were not essential to the narrative or to a permanent record, and which some indeed may think to have been not the most valuable part of the book. What remains has been thoroughly revised in the light of better information and subsequent events; the proofs have been diligently read by several authorities, previously inaccessible.
