The next book on my reading list is Plutarch's Lives (Dreyden). On the inside cover is this dedication to the 15 year old boy who first received this 1908 four-volume set new in 1909.

I assume the gift was intended to train the young man in moral virtues. My understanding is that this was a somewhat common practice in prior eras. The idea was that young men would learn and emulate the virtues of the Greek and Roman heroes described within, presumably without the vices.

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