"This is a sensible book. I want you to understand that. This is a book to improve your mind. In this book, I tell you all about Germany – at all events all I know about Germany – and the Ober-Ammorgau Passion Play. I also tell you about other things. I do not tell you all I know about all these other things because I do not want to swamp you with knowledge. I wish to teach you gradually. I should only be defeating my own object that I, by making you think too much at first, give you a perhaps lasting dislike to the exercise. I have purposely put the matter in a light and attractive form so that I may secure the alteration of the young and frivolous. I do not want them to notice as they go on, that they are being instructed; and I have therefore endeavoured to disguise from them, so far as practicable, that this is to either an exceptionally clever or an exceptionally useful work. I want to do them good without their knowing it. I want to do you all good – to improve your minds and to make you think, if I can.

"What you will think after you have read the book, I do not want to know. Indeed, I would rather not know. It will be sufficient reward for me to feel that I have done my duty and to receive a percentage on the gross sales!"

Extract from the Preface About Assembled Stories: Over the years the national press have reviewed Assembled Stories titles as ‘excellent’,‘remarkable’, ‘entrancing’, ‘superb’, ‘magic for sure’, ‘masterly’, ‘wonderful’, ‘a class act’ and ‘a splendid example of audio at its best’.