Book excerpt: The adventures and discoveries here described are gathered from the four quarters of the globe, and include the famous stories of men no longer living, as well as those of present activity. Many of the articles were formerly published in the exhaustive work entitled, "The World's Library of Literature, History and Travel" [The J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia]. For the rich variety and quality of our material we are indebted to many travellers of note, and to the courtesy of numerous publishers and authors. - Preface.