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xii PREFACE. which are available in full to the public, but I believe that every specification pertinent to my subject is at least mentioned, and I am convinced such a list is a necessary complement to an historical review. Further- more, these patents will be found to include many ideas which may contain some useful germs, and although many of these crude conceptions have not been prac- tically carried out, they at least afford food for thought. An acquaintance with the minuteness of the steps in the evolution of the Living Picture has caused me to attach value to even the slightest novelty, find it where I might. With regard to the Bibliography, I do not put it forward as exhaustive. Were it so, the valuable papers would be hidden among a number of reprints and comments. I merely append some of the more important references I have collected in the course of my reading, in order that others may pursue any point on which they desire further information than I have been able to supply in the space at my disposal. To this end the Index is especially directed; I believe its utiHty will justify the labour I have expended upon it. In conclusion, I would say that my aim has been to express each fact as clearly as possible in a popular way, and to present in a connected form as much information as I could collect, in order that my book might not only provide a few hours' pleasant reading, but also serve as a standard of reference on its subject. Finally, I should esteem it a favour if any reader who discovers an error, either of commission or omission, in my work would acquaint me with the fact, for " to err is human " ; and I should be pleased to find my critics approach the other extreme of the proverb cited. HENRY V. HOPWOOD. January, iS^g.