The public sometimes use the word "system" as though each book on phonography had nothing in common with the others,when the fact is that they are all built from the same parent stem and each simply represents the art in its best form at the time the author of each book first introduced his work to the public. For instance, when Isaac Pitman, in 1837, printed his first manual, it represented the art as it was written by the best writers then, and that author has not greatly improved his books since. In 1855, Ben Pitman printed his book representing the art nearly as it was written in that day; though Graham, three years later, more thoroughly illustrated the art as used by the swiftest writers at that period, the art having wonderfully improved among the profession since Isaac Pitman's first work. Next, Munson and Marsh, in 1868, published works showing improvements made by the profession up to that date. Since the books of those authors appeared, however, the art has progressed in a greater ratio still, yet those books, though in their new editions bearing the date of each year since, have not kept pace with the improvements made by the profession.because it would necessitate great expense in changing their book plates; so they have printed year in and year out mostly from the same old plates, or duplicates of them, that their first editions contained, and thus, though new editions are published each year, yet said editions only represent the art in the days when those authors first printed their books, so that those authors each represent phonography as it was written professionally when they first essayed authorship, but the profession has long ago left them behind. And, as many other modern authors who were not reporters, but mere theorists, have simply copied the old editions of the above named authors or their contemporaries, this book is therefore the only one representing the professional outlines as used by the best professional writers of all "systems" at the present day. It is not a new "system," but the latest professional representation of the art as used by the best writers.