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The preface and preface in a book are published before the main text and mainly describe the basic content, compilation intention, book writing process, academic value, and introduction of the author and translator. These prefaces are usually written by the translator or editor or written by others to explain the main theme of the article or the purpose of writing the article. A preface can become an introduction and summary of a book, and can even be understood as the essence of what is written; and a famous preface can go straight to the author's heart, bring insightful insights to the reader, and build a bridge between the author and the reader. This book is the 39th volume of the "Harvard Classics" series, which contains prefaces and prefaces to classic works written by many famous writers. The works selected in this book focus on the 14th to 19th centuries, which was a special period when Western civilization was experiencing the Renaissance and sparks of thought. The bright stars of human civilization born during this period are still shining brightly today. This book collects the prefaces or postscripts of the works of Calvin, Bacon, Copernicus, Spencer, Newton, etc. It not only explains the significance of the works mentioned to readers, but also demonstrates the humanistic spirit of the authors independent of heaven and earth. Reading this book, you can see the confident Bacon, the eloquent Calvin, the cautious Copernicus, the confident Bacon, the talented Spencer, and the rigorous and humble Sir Newton. As the editor of the original book described in the preface - "Each article presents a real and full character image before us."