CHAMBERS, KNIGHT, AND CASSELL. 371 Being widely known as a man sprung from the people as still one of themselves the working classes had faith in Cassell, and readily purchased his books when they were not so readily tempted to try the publications of the various societies. His knowledge of their real conditions and their wants was very use- ful, and while his opinion in every matter was most carefully adopted, the business department remained rather in the hands of his junior partners, especially in later years. In 1850 the Working Man's Friend appeared, the precursor of many similar works, and was followed, immediately after the Great Exhibition, by the Illustrated Exhibitor a comprehensive and well- executed scheme intended to preserve a permanent reflection of the World's Great Fair. This same idea was successfully repeated in 1862. Among all the works published by the firm perhaps the most useful was, and indeed is, the Popular Edu- cator ; in this, for the weekly sum of one penny, the vast store-house of human knowledge was thrown open ; the matter, carefully systematised and arranged so as to encourage self-tuition, aided many a struggler in the path of progress. This was ably followed by the Technical Educator. In the former of these works Lord Brougham took an immense interest, and his opinion of John Cassell was as pleasing as it was often repeated. Of the illustrated works issued in the same cheap method many were English, or rather European, classics, such as the " Pilgrim's Progress," " Don Quixote," " Foxe's Book of Martyrs," " Shakespeare," " Robinson Crusoe," " Gulliver's Travels," &c. Like Tegg or Lackington, Cassell must be looked upon rather as an
