In form it had to suffer curtailment. When several conflicting
versions of the same legend existed, I gave only one in the text,
reserving the other one, or the several others, for the Notes,
or, when practicable, they were fused into one typical legend,
the component parts of which are analyzed in the Notes. In other
instances I resorted to the expedient of citing one version in
one place and the others in other appropriate places, in
furtherance of my aim, to give a smooth presentation of the
matter, with as few interruptions to the course of the narrative
as possible. For this reason I avoided such transitional phrases
as "Some say," "It has been maintained," etc. That my method
sometimes separates things that belong together cannot be
considered a grave disadvantage, as the Index at the end of the
work will present a logical rearrangement of the material for the
benefit of the interested student. I also did not hesitate to
treat of the same personage in different chapters, as, for
instance, many of the legends bearing upon Jacob, those connected
with the latter years of the Patriarch, do not appear in the
chapter bearing his name, but will be found in the sections
devoted to Joseph, for the reason that once the son steps upon
the scene, he becomes the central figure, to which the life and
deeds of the father are subordinated. Again, in consideration of
lack of space the Biblical narratives underlying the legends had
to be omitted--surely not a serious omission in a subject with
which widespread acquaintance may be presupposed as a matter of
course.

As a third consequence of the amplitude of the material, it was
thought advisable to divide it into several volumes. The
references, the explanations of the sources used, and the