Produced by Greg Bergquist, Ernest Schaal, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
_Each volume with one or more colored plates and many illustrations from original drawings or special photographs. Octavo, with decorative cover, gilt top, boxed._
_Per volume $2.50 net, carriage paid $2.70_
THE SPELL OF ITALY By Caroline Atwater Mason
THE SPELL OF FRANCE By Caroline Atwater Mason
THE SPELL OF ENGLAND By Julia de W. Addison
THE SPELL OF HOLLAND By Burton E. Stevenson
THE SPELL OF SWITZERLAND By Nathan Haskell Dole
THE SPELL OF THE ITALIAN LAKES By William D. McCrackan
THE SPELL OF TYROL By William D. McCrackan
THE PAGE COMPANY 53 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass.
[Illustration: _Court and Gate, Shiba Park, Tokyo_ (_See page 60_)]
_Copyright, 1914._ BY THE PAGE COMPANY _All rights reserved_
THE COLONIAL PRESS C. H. SIMONDS CO., BOSTON, U. S. A.
TO THE MEMORY OF _MY FATHER_ WHO WAS THE FIRST TO TELL ME OF THE LAND OF THE MILLION SWORDS
In general, single vowels have the same sounds as in the Continental pronunciation of Latin. The diphthong _ai_ is like _i_ in fight; _ei_ like _a_ in gate; _au_ like _ou_ in bough. The consonants are sounded as in English, except that _g_ is always hard and in the middle of a word is like a prolonged and very nasal _ng_; and _z_ before _u_ is the equivalent of _dz_. When consonants are doubled, both are distinctly enunciated. Syllables are pronounced lightly and with nearly uniform accent as in French, but vowels marked long are carefully lengthened.
The term "Spell," as applied to a series of books treating of various countries seems instantly to conjure up before the vision the most romantic and attractive episodes in their history, the most picturesque and fascinating aspects of their geography, the most alluring qualities of their inhabitants. Under this ample and elastic term, Romance has been able to weave its iridescent glamour, if possible enhancing the charm of the reality, like a delicate veil over a mountain view.
The fortunate authors have been enabled to take journeys as it were on Solomon's magic carpet, the aerial vehicle of the Imagination, and to depict ideal conditions based nevertheless on solid foundations of Truth.