Seven Sons of Mammon

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. A book without a Preface has, ere now, been likened to a Palace without a facade; but I am afraid that in too many instances the prefatory observations which authors think themselves called upon to make, more closely resemble that cum brous attic story added, by an after thought, to the Mansion House, and which enabled the architect to spoil an originally excellent edifice. As, however, the postulate Of excellence as regards this work may be extremely questionable, I do not think that a brief exordium is calculated to make it much better or much worse. The only tribulation it has caused me, has been in the endeavour to make it serve some useful purpose. For, by this time, I should imagine those who peruse novels must have grown somewhat tired of being called courteous readers - Of being grinned and simpered at, and tickled, and flattered, and cajoled by a person they never saw, and whom most probably they do not care to see. How do I know that the reader of these lines is courteous? He may be Ursa Major for aught I can tell, and be grumbling and growling.