Excerpt from Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Story County, Iowa: Comprising a Condensed History of the State, a Number of Biographies of Distinguished Citizens of the Same, a Descriptive History of the County Named Herein, and Numerous Selected Biographical Sketches of the Citizens of Such County HE method by which this book was prepared is the only successful plan yet devised for the preservation of local history and biography throughout the United States, and the number of volumes distributed seems fabulous. Over one million copies have been sold in the United States in the last fifteen years at prices ranging from $10 to $25 per copy, aggregating a total valuation of fully Many of these works are purely bio graphical, containing no history whatever; others are genealogical, extending back to the origin of the family on this continent. Whatever may be the objection to the method of preparation, whatever fault may exist in the celerity of compil ation and publication, the enormous circulation and the wonderful and endur ing popularity of the works, as shown in their steady sale at high prices, prove that the end justifies the means. The books are clearly a 'magnificent product of this great inventive and progressive age. The millions of biographies pub lished and thus perpetually preserved will prove of the greatest value to the future in the investigation of family descent and in the entailment of estates. The Publishers have few if any excuses to ofier in handing this fine volume to their patrons, for whom alone it was prepared. It is a work of permanent worth, carefully compiled from the most valuable material to be found, critically read and revised, and in mechanical make-up will challenge comparison with the most improved products of the art of book-making. Every biography was submitted by mail, and nearly all were promptly corrected and returned by the subjects. Much of the history was prepared by home talent and is accurate and valuable. The promises contained in the prospectus used by our agents on the canvass have been exceeded in almost every detail; a candid comparison is solicited. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.