Wanderings of a war-artist

I Believe that although a large section of the public do not read the prefaces to books, preferring to judge unbiased by the author's promises or apologies for themselves, there are, on the other hand, many who do, and to whom it is a sort of key-note to the contents; therefore should it incisively convey a suggestion of the menu with which their mental appetite is about to be appeased.