Self-Taught Men

Download or read book Self-Taught Men written by and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2016-10-30 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Self-Taught Men: A Series of Biographies for the Young N the history of this, as of other countries, previous to the great discovery of printing, learning, and all the refined and useful arts, were exclusively confined to a distinct class, and beyond its exclusive pale all efforts at knowledge or intellectual elevation were absolutely impossible. The gradual extension of learning by the printing-press, and its perfect enfranchisement by means of our free religious and political institutions, have produced a total change in the means of access to knowledge. Intelligent perseverance and industry may now sur mount almost every obstacle arising from humble birth and limited opportunities; and we are accordingly familiar, in the history of our most distinguished men, with instances of the greatest difficulties overcome, and the highest ranks of learning, genius, and social position achieved, by those who started surrounded by all the disadvantages of a humble sphere. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.