This well-preserved hardcover is near fine, pages are tight and the book is tight, square, and in good condition. P.F. Collier & Son was a prominent American publishing company based in New York, founded in 1902. The company became well-known for its production of encyclopedias, books, and periodicals. The Harvard Classics Volume 2 was part of a famous collection of classic literature edited by Charles W. Eliot, L.L.D., and published by P.F. Collier & Son in 1909. Charles W. Eliot, a Harvard University professor, conceived the idea of the Harvard Classics as a way to provide a complete education by assembling the most important and influential works in literature, philosophy, history, and science. Eliot's goal was to create a series of works that could be read over the course of a lifetime. The Harvard Classics series is still widely regarded as one of the most ambitious and successful publishing projects of its time.