North American, Vol. 10 (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from North American, Vol. 10<br><br>No one can be more keenly aware of the sketchy nature of the study here undertaken than is the author. The literature of the subject, already very great, is being augmented at a rate hitherto unequalled; and it is needless to say that this fact alone renders any general analysis at present provisional. As far as possible the author has endeavoured to confine himself to a descriptive study and to base this study upon regional divisions. Criticism has been limited to the indication of suggestive analogies, to summaries in the shape of notes, and to the formulation of a general plan of selection (indicated in the Introduction), without which no book could be written. The time will certainly come for a closely analytical comparative study of North American myths, but at the present time a general description is surely the work which is needed.<br><br>Bibliographical references have been almost entirely relegated to the Notes, where the sources for each section will be found, thus avoiding the typographical disfigurement which footnotes entail. The plan, it is believed, will enable a ready identification of any passage desired, and at the same time will give a convenient key for the several treatments of related topics.The Bibliography gives the sources upon which the text is chiefly based, chapter for chapter. Other references, incidentally quoted, are given in the Notes. The critical reader's attention is called, in particular, to Note I, dealing with the difficult question of nomenclature and spelling. The author has made no attempt to present a complete bibliography of American Indian mythology.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.