It was well observed by Lord Bacon, that "It would much conduce to the magnanimity and honour of man, if a collection were made of the extraordinaries of human nature, principally out of the reports of history; that is, what is the last and highest pitch to which man's nature, of itself, hath ever reached, in all the perfection of mind and body. If the wonders of human nature, and virtues as well of mind as of body, were collected into a volume, they might serve as a calendar of human triumphs."

The present work not only embraces the Curiosities of human nature, but of Nature and Art in general, as well as Science and Literature. Surrounded with wonders, and lost in admiration, the inquisitive mind of man is ever anxious to know the hidden springs that put these wonders in motion; he eagerly inquires for some one to take him by the hand and explain to him the curiosities of the universe. And though the works of nature are great, and past finding out, and we cannot arrive at the perfection of science, nor discover the secret impulses which nature obeys, yet can we by reading, study, and investigation dissipate much of the darkness in which we are enveloped, and dive far beyond the surface of this multifarious scene of things. The noblest employment of the human understanding is to contemplate the works of the great Creator of the boundless universe, and to trace the marks of infinite wisdom, power, and goodness throughout the whole.

A considerable portion of the following pages is devoted to Curiosities in the works of Nature. It also presents to the reader a view of the great achievements of the human intellect in the discoveries of science, and the wonderful operations of the skill, power, and industry of man in the invention and improvement of the arts, in the construction of machines, and in the buildings and other ornaments the earth exhibits, as trophies to the glory of the human race.

The work is divided into ninety-one chapters. The Curiosities respecting Man occupy eleven chapters. The next four chapters are devoted to Animals ; then two to Fishes; one to Serpents and Worms; three to Birds; eleven to Insects; six to Vegeta-bles; three to Mountains; two to Grottoes, Caves, etc.; one to Mines; two to the Sea ; one to Lakes, Whirlpools, etc.; one to Burning Springs; one to Earthquakes ; one to Remarkable Winds; one to Showers, Storms, etc. ; one to Ice ; one to Ruins; four to Buildings, Temples, and other Monuments of Antiquity; and one to Basaltic and Rocky Curiosities. The fifty-eighth chapter is devoted to the Ark of Noah, the Galley of Hiero, and the Bridge of Xerxes. The next six chapters detail at length the various Customs of Mankind in different parts of the World, and also explain many Old Adages and Sayings. The next five chapters exhibit a variety of curious phenomena in nature, such as the Ignis Fatuus, Thunder and Lightning, Fire Balls, Water Spouts, Fairy Rings, Spots in the Sun, Volcanoes in the Moon, Eclipses, Shook-ing Stars, Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, etc., etc. The seventieth chapter is on Galvanism. The seventy-first on Magnetism. The next three chapters delineate the principal Curiosities respecting the Arts. Then follow five chapters on some of the principal Curiosities in History; three on the Curiosities of Literature ; and nine on Miscellaneous Curiosities.

Truthful descriptions are given of the finest Buildings, the most remarkable Ruins ; of the most extensive Libraries ; of Animals, their propagation, nature and habits; of Wonderful Automatons and strange Machines ; of Icebergs and Hot Springs; of huge Mountains and deep Caverns ; of Bees and Birds ; of the Ant and the Beaver ; of Mines, Mining, Currency, and Coins ; of Diseases and Cures ; of Mesmerism and Galvanism ; of Feasts and Famines; of Female Beauty, how to promote and how to injure it; of splendid Palaces and gorgeous Temples; of Scientific Investigations and priceless Discoveries ; of Music and Musical Instruments ; of Microscopic and Telescopic Wonders; of Human Perfections and Monstrosities; of Lightning, Thunder, Tornadoes, Cyclones ; of Virulent Poisons and their Antidotes; and of the other wonders of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water.

An Appendix is added, containing a number of easy, innocent, amusing Experiments and Recreations.

The Compiler trusts the work will afford both entertainment and instruction for the leisure hour of the Philosopher or the Laborer, the Gentleman or the Mechanic. In short, all classes may find in the present work something conducive to their pleasure and improvement, as it will afford a constant source of subjects for interesting and agreeable conversation.