The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean

PREFACE

I was a boy when I went through the wonderful adventures herein set
down.  With the memory of my boyish feelings strong upon me, I present
my book specially to boys, in the earnest hope that they may derive
valuable information, much pleasure, great profit, and unbounded
amusement from its pages.

One word more.  If there is any boy or man who loves to be melancholy
and morose, and who cannot enter with kindly sympathy into the regions
of fun, let me seriously advise him to shut my book and put it away.  It
is not meant for him.

RALPH ROVER.