Excerpt from Babylonians and Assyrians: Life and Customs The object of this series is to present, in brief and compact form, a knowledge of the more important facts in the history of this family in a way that will be serviceable to students in colleges, universities, and theological seminaries, to the clergy, and to intel ligent lay readers. It has been the good fortune of the Editor and Publishers to secure the interest and co-operation of scholars who are fitted by their special knowledge of the subjects entrusted to them. Works written on Semitic subjects by those whose knowledge is gained from other than the original sources are sure to be defective in many ways. It is only the specialist whose knowledge enables him to take a comprehen sive view of the entire field in which he labors who is able to gain the perspective necessary for the produc tion of a general work which will set forth promi uently, and in their proper relations, the salient and most interesting facts