Till this suggestion is carried out, the housewife can only refer to books and papers for information and advice. The editors of the present volume have been guided by a determination to make it a _book of reference_ such as no housewife can afford to be without. Much of the matter is, of course, not altogether new, but it has been arranged with great care in a systematic manner, and while the use of obscure scientific terms has been avoided, the teachings of modern science have been made the basis of those sections in which science plays a part. Much of the information herein contained has appeared before in lectures, pamphlets, and newspapers, foremost among these last being the _Queen_, _Field_, _Lancet_, _Scientific American_, _Pharmaceutical Journal_, _Gardener’s Chronicle_, and the _Bazaar_; but it has lost nothing by repetition, and has this advantage in being embodied in a substantial volume that it can always be readily found when wanted, while every one knows the fate of leaflets and journals. The sources whence information has been drawn have, it is believed, in every case been acknowledged, and the editors take this opportunity of again proclaiming their indebtedness to the very large number of lecturers and writers whose communications have found a place within these covers. THE EDITORS. CONTENTS. =Hints for selecting a good House=, pointing out the essential requirements for a good house as to the Site, Soil, Trees, Aspect, Construction, and General Arrangement; with instructions for Reducing Echoes, Water-proofing Damp Walls, Curing Damp Cellars Page 1 =Water Supply.=--Care of Cisterns; Sources of Supply; Pipes; Pumps; Purification and Filtration of Water 12 =Sanitation.=--What should constitute a good Sanitary Arrangement; Examples (with illustrations) of Well- and Ill-drained Houses; How to Test Drains; Ventilating Pipes, &c. 35 =Ventilation and Warming.=--Methods of Ventilating without causing cold draughts, by various means; Principles of Warming; Health Questions; Combustion; Open Grates; Open Stoves; Fuel Economisers; Varieties of Grates; Close-Fire Stoves; Hot-air Furnaces; Gas Heating; Oil Stoves; Steam Heating; Chemical Heaters; Management of Flues; and Cure of Smoky Chimneys 55 =Lighting.=--The best methods of Lighting; Candles, Oil Lamps, Gas, Incandescent Gas, Electric Light; How to Test Gas Pipes; Management of Gas 82 =Furniture and Decoration.=--Hints on the Selection of Furniture; on the most approved methods of Modern Decoration; on the best methods of arranging Bells and Calls; How to Construct an Electric Bell 95