Oliver Optic 
Dikes and Ditches; Or, Young America in Holland and Belgium – A Story of Travel and Adventure 

Contained in this volume is a fascinating story of travel and adventure, written by the esteemed academic William Taylor Adams. The fourth in the 'Young America Abroad’ series, this text is a continuation of the history of the Academy Ship and her consort in the waters of Holland and Belgium. This book was written for young people in the hope that they will take a keen interest in the regions visited in this book and that they will find this volume as attractive as the story books of the day; great care has been taken to make the historical content factual and reliable, making it as educational as it is entertaining and the perfect book to inspire young minds of worldly adventure. William Taylor Adams was an author, academic, and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Originally published in 1874, this rare book is republished here with a new prefatory biography of the author.