The Lost Prince
Preface:
It is with joy that we present to you The Lost Prince, by Frances Hodgson
Burnett, with illustrations from the original 1915 edition by Maurice L.
Bower. We hope that you will enjoy this book, not only as a "good read,"
but also as a powerful illustration of godly character and spiritual truth.
To help your appreciation of the book, we have added some new material in
this edition. First, where the text includes names or places that would be
unfamiliar to readers today, we have added short explanatory footnotes.
Second, we have added three supplementary "learning guides" that follow
the text:
- Explore: The World of The Lost Prince—The setting for our book,
Europe in the early twentieth century, was in many ways a very different
world than the one we live in today. This brief section offers a map of
Europe circa 1911 with a short description of the political and economic
life of that period. Readers may wish to refer to the map as they go,
especially during the second half of the book.
- Explore: Finding God's Heart—For each chapter, we offer a few questions for
thought and discussion which we hope will help the reader mine some of the
riches of this wonderful book. A family or group of friends reading through
the book out loud (our favorite way of sharing a good story!) may want
to use these questions to spur on their own discussions. Parents or other
educators may want to suggest questions for a writing assignment. But we
want to stress that the primary goal of these questions is not academics,
but life application.
- Explore: Reading The Lost Prince As an Allegory—What did we get
out of the book? Why are we so eager to share it with you? We think this
story, for those "who have ears to hear," can provide some powerful
insights into spiritual reality. If you find this summary a helpful
start for your own exploration of these truths, we are grateful.
May this book encourage you along the way in the only journey that
counts—the journey to know Jesus better and better.
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole
family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of
His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His
Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in
love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how
wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know
this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the
measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His
power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and
in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
(Ephesians 3:14-21)
