Sesame And Lilies

By: John Ruskin and Edited by ALBERT E. ROBERT

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: Sesame and Lilies consists of two essays primarily written for delivery as public lectures in 1864. A third, Of the Mystery of Life, delivered in Dublin some four years later, is generally included in the later editions. The first lecture, Of Kings' Treasuries, was delivered at Rusholme Town Hall Manchester, in aid of a library fund for the Rusholme Institute. The central theme is books - how and what to read. Sesame is the key to the royal treasure-house of books: the magic grain of education that will unlock the wisdom contained in them. The second lecture, Of Queens' Gardens, was delivered about a week later at the Town Hall, King Street, Manchester, now the Free Reference Library, in aid of the St. Andrew's Schools at Ancoats. The main subject is therefore education, the education of women, and so Ruskin discusses "Why women should read".