Cuore (Heart): An Italian Schoolboy's Journal is a children's novel by Edmondo De Amicis, written as the diary of a boy during a school year in an Italian municipal school. Through everyday scenes and tales of classmates, family, and teachers, it reflects lessons of kindness, duty, and country. It offers a warm, historical portrait of childhood and schooling.
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Cover of the original edition (Project Gutenberg, public domain).
Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.
Opening of the book
CUORE (HEART) AN ITALIAN SCHOOLBOY’S JOURNAL A Book for Boys BY EDMONDO DE AMICIS TRANSLATED FROM THE THIRTY-NINTH ITALIAN EDITION BY ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1887, 1895 and 1901. By THOMAS Y. CROWELL & COMPANY
Copyright, 1915. By ISABEL F. HAPGOOD Printed in the United States of America AUTHOR’S PREFACE This book is specially dedicated to the boys of the elementary schools between the ages of nine and thirteen years, and might be entitled: “The Story of a Scholastic Year written by a Pupil of the Third Class of an Italian Municipal School.” In saying written by a pupil of the third class, I do not mean to say that it was written by him exactly as it is printed. He noted day by day in a copy-book, as well as he knew how, what he had seen, felt, thought in the school and outside the school; his father at the end of the year wrote these pages on those notes, taking care not to alter the thought, and preserving, when it was possible, the words of his son. Four years later the boy, being then in the lyceum, read over the MSS. and added something of his own, drawing on his memories, still fresh, of persons and of things. Now read this book, boys; I hope that you will be pleased with it, and that it may do you good. Edmondo De Amicis. CONTENTS.
OCTOBER. PAGE The First Day of School 1 Our Master 3 An Accident 5 The Calabrian Boy 6 My Comrades 8 A Generous Deed 10 My Schoolmistress of the Upper First 12 In an Attic 14 The School 16 The Little Patriot of Padua 17 The Chimney-Sweep 20 The Day of the Dead 22 NOVEMBER. My Friend Garrone 24 The Charcoal-Man and the Gentleman 26 My Brother’s Schoolmistress 28 My Mother 30 My Companion Coretti 31 The Head-Master 35 The Soldiers 38 Nelli’s Protector 40 The Head of the Class 42 The Little Vidette of Lombardy 44 The Poor 50 DECEMBER. The Trader 52 Vanity 54 The First Snow-Storm 56 The Little Mason 58 A Snowball 61