Like The Philosopher, The Author Views His

I Have Always Made An Effort To Render Every Detail Of My Reality With The Greatest Accuracy; But I Have Never Paid Attention To Whether My Presentation Of Historical Facts Was An Exact One.

After Closely Examining My Conscience, I Venture To State That In My Historical Novels I Intended The Content To Be Just As Modern And Up-to-date As In The Contemporary Ones.

An Author Who Sets About To Depict Events Of The Past That Have Run Their Course Is Suspected Of Wishing To Avoid The Problems Of The Present Day, Of Being, In Other Words, A Reactionary.

I Should Add That It Is Open To Debate Whether What We Call The Writing Of History These Days Is Truly Scientific.

There's Only A Step From The Sublime To The Ridiculous, But There's No Road Leading From The Ridiculous To The Sublime.