"A Century of Boy's Stories"

When I was a young schoolboy one of my favourite books was "A Century of Boy's Stories" edited by Francis Brett Young.

It was a collection of extracts from larger works and short stories by well known authors.

This is what Amazon says about it.

"Published in Great Britain, this is an exciting collection of stories for boys from notable British and American authors of the late 1800's. Wonderfully compiled with the adventure-loving boy in mind, these short stories from some of the giants of literature will certainly please the classic-lover in anyone. Timeless. "

I used to thrill at some of the stories which certainly took you to other lands and adventures in the days before we had TV or the Internet.

My copy was a Christmas present to my Dad in 1935.

Here is the list of Authors:

Eden Philpotts
W H G Kingston
Talbot Baines Reed
Victor Hugo
Harold Avery
Charles Dickens
Francis Brett Young
Samuel Lover
Herbert Haynes
R M Ballantyne
Mark Twain
Lew Wallace
Sydney Horler
Alexandre Dumas
W Robert Foran
R D Blackmore
H G Wells
J Fennimore Cooper
H De Vere Stacpoole
Sir Walter Scott
Jack London
Morley Roberts
Herbert Strang
Sir H M Stanley
R L Stevenson
Fisher Ames Junr.
Harrison Ainsworth
Sir Harry Brittain
G A Henty
Rolf Boldrewood
Garry Allen
Thomas Hughes
W A Darlington
Edgar Allan Poe
Percy F Westerman
Charles Kingsley
J F Wilson
Herman Melville
Alfred Judd
Washington Irving
G Manville Fenn
Captain Marryatt
Alfred H Miles
Jules Verne
Captain Mayne Reid
Charles Lever

I was enchanted by these stories.

The book led me into the path of English Literature which opened up many wonderful horizons.
 I am preserving and building my own collection of books so that hopefully one or more of my grandchildren can be captivated also.
Below are some images from the book and the start of one of my favourite stories from the book  about cricket when there was underarm bowling, 2 stumps not 3,curved bats,no wicket keeping gloves etc.

Herbet Strang who wrote it was not a real person but 2 authors who used the same name.

See what it says in wikipedia.   Fascinating!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Strang