Everyday Classics

The Everyday classics are a series of school readers basued upon a valid principle and a vital need. The principle is that there is a considerable body of good literature which is simple enough to be understood and enjoyed by children. It is of good value to read stories like these childhood to be retained as an influence upon one's on attitude towards life. The need for such a series is seen in the fact that many children are put in touch with so little of this common heritage.

The daily lives of ordinary people are replete with objects, common things used in commonplace settings. These objects are our constant companions in life. As such, writes Soetsu Yanagi, they should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be natural and simple, sturdy and safe - the aesthetic result of wholeheartedly fulfilling utilitarian needs. They should, in short, be things of beauty. In an age of feeble and ugly machine-made things, these essays call for us to deepen and transform our relationship with the objects that surround us. Inspired by the work of the simple, humble craftsmen Yanagi encountered during his lifelong travels through Japan and Korea, they are an earnest defence of modest, honest, handcrafted things - from traditional teacups to jars to cloth and paper. Objects like these exemplify the enduring appeal of simplicity and function: the beauty of everyday things.

The Everyday classics are a series of school readers basued upon a valid principle and a vital need. The principle is that there is a considerable body of good literature which is simple enough to be understood and enjoyed by children. It is of good value to read stories like these childhood to be retained as an influence upon one's on attitude towards life. The need for such a series is seen in the fact that many children are put in touch with so little of this common heritage.