The World's Best Books : A Key to the Treasures of Literature

"The World's Best Books: A Key to the Treasures of Literature" by Frank Parsons is a comprehensive literary guide written in the late 19th century. This work serves to identify and categorize significant literary works and authors, providing insights into the importance of reading quality literature while offering systematic methods for doing so. The book is meant to be a practical handbook for various readers, including students, teachers, and anyone interested in improving their literary appreciation. The opening of the book presents an overview of its objectives, emphasizing the importance of selecting the best literature for personal development and intellectual fulfillment. It outlines the five primary purposes of the book, including highlighting the benefits of excellent literature, guiding readers on effective reading methods, and establishing a foundational understanding of major literary works across different cultures and time periods. Additionally, the text encourages thoughtful selection and ownership of books as essential components of personal education and character formation. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Frank Parsons was an American professor, social reformer, and public intellectual. Although he was educated as an engineer at Cornell University, he passed the Massachusetts state bar examination and became a lawyer in 1881. Parsons was a lecturer at Boston University School of Law for more than a decade and taught at Kansas State Agricultural College from 1897 to 1899. As a leading social commentator of the Progressive Era, Parsons authored a dozen books and more than 125 magazine and journal articles on a wide range of reform topics, including currency reform, regulation of monopolies, municipal ownership, establishment of direct democracy, and other matters. Parsons is also widely regarded as the father of the vocational guidance movement.