This book has been written for the boys and girls of Halifax and district, with the hope also, that older people may find it full of interest. I have tried to keep it a purely local history. It is not a new text-book of English history, furnished with local notes.<br><br>Halifax has been particularly fortunate in inspiring a line of men who have delighted in revealing her past. In this twentieth century we have had a band of enthusiastic antiquaries, which few towns can rival. The Transactions of the Halifax Antiquarian Society have provided the bulk of the material for this work. Mr. John Lister, the President, has always been very kind to me. Mr. H.P. Kendall, who has taken so many of the photographs, has also helped in other ways to make the history more complete. Even more than their skill, do I value the comradeship and friendship of the members of our Antiquarian Society. The story of the book itself is as follows. From January, 1913, to January, 1917, I contributed a serial history of Halifax to "The Satchel," (the Halifax Schools' newspaper). Towards the end of that period, a sub-committee of the Head Teachers Association invited me to re-publish the articles in book form. I re-wrote the matter, Messrs. Harris, Harwood, and Hawkins read the manuscript, and together we discussed the chapters in some interesting meetings. Mr. W. H. Ostler, the Education Secretary, proved to be one of my most helpful critics, and also helped very considerably to secure the publication of the book.