The content is identical to that of the first edition of the same title (Lucerna ID 4005221), except for the addition of 15 more readings from page 282 onwards.

The earliest date of publication is based on a testimonial from The Christian World of 16 January 1874, reprinted in the back endpapers.

Syria and Palestine, pp. 1-11

Reynard the fox, pp. 12-16

A tour in Switzerland, pp. 17-28

Henry Clay Work and Henry Clay Work, Come home, father: little Mary's song, pp. 28-29

Thomas Campbell, The soldier's dream, pp. 29-30

The overland route, pp. 30-36

China and the Chinese, pp. 37-47

Underground life: or, mines and miners, pp. 47-55

The Pilgrim's progress, pp. 55-61

The holy war, pp. 61-67

Life and travels of St Paul, pp. 68-74

The book of Martyrs: by John Foxe, pp. 74-86

Natural phenomena, pp. 87-100

Henry Glassford Bell, Mary, Queen of Scots, pp. 101-106

Robert Browning, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, pp. 107-109

William B. Fowle, Vat you please, pp. 110-112

Uncle John, Jack and his 'hard lump', p. 113

Thomas Ingoldsby, The jackdaw of Rheims, pp. 113-114

The town pump, p. 114

Frank W. Green and Alfred Lee, Mrs Somebody swallowed a fly, p. 114

Scenes from the life of Martin Luther, pp. 115-120

Scripture customs and manners, pp. 120-125

Views of the Nile: from Alexandria to the Second Cataract, pp. 125-131

Undine, pp. 132-139

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, pp. 140-147

The greatest plague of life: or a lady in search of a good servant, pp. 148-159

Dr Lees, The human stomach: in health, and under alcoholic excitement and disease, p. 160

Albert Smith, Jack Holyday: a story for juveniles, pp. 161-169

English cathedrals, pp. 170-178

Robert Burns, The cotter's Saturday night, pp. 179-183

Ireland, pp. 184-191

Walter B. Woodbury, Lecture on Java, pp. 192-199

A tour in North Wales, pp. 200-211

Rome: the capital of the Caesars and the Popes; its ancient and modern buildings; its people and their rulers, pp. 212-221

Walter Scott, Kenilworth, pp. 222-229

The inverted world, pp. 230-231

The unlucky present, pp. 231-233

Peter Pindar, The pilgrims and the peas, pp. 233-234

Charles Dickens, Christmas carol, pp. 235-250

Robert Southey, The well of St. Keyne, pp. 251-252

The tiger and tub, pp. 252-255

Mischief and complacency, pp. 255-257

Robert Burns, Address to the toothache, p. 258

The legend of the wandering Jew, pp. 259-260

The vision of Hell: by Dante Alighieri, pp. 260-263

The little town of Weinsburgh, pp. 263-264

Robert Southey, Mary, the maid of the inn, pp. 265-267

Johnny Sands, pp. 267-268

Robinson Crusoe, pp. 268-271

Thomas Haynes Bayley and Henry Bishop, The mistletoe bough, p. 272

The adventures of Baron Munchausen, pp. 273-275

The fables of La Fontaine, pp. 275-280

Aesop's fables, pp. 281-282

Experiments: that may be performed in the glass trough, and shewn on the screen by means of the lantern, pp. 283-284

Friedrich Schiller (trans. Edgar A. Bowring), Pegasus in harness, pp. 285-286

Peter Parley, Black Jack, pp. 285-288

Mother Tabbyskins, p. 287

The miller and the ass, p. 288

Henry Mackenzie, The bashful man, pp. 289-291

Hans Christian Andersen, The ugly duckling, pp. 292-295

Drunk as a brute: a fairy tale of 20 years ago, pp. 296-299

The three rogues of Bagdad, p. 300

W. Yorke, Lecture on India, pp. 301-316

Thomas Ingoldsby, Misadventures at Margate: [a.k.a. The vulgar little boy], pp. 317-319

J.W. Kirton, J.W. Kirton on The trial of Sir Jasper, pp. 320-322

T.D. Crewdson, The Gemzé fawn, pp. 323-324

The history of Tom Thumb, pp. 324-326

Cinderella: or, the glass slipper, pp. 327-328

The four stages of cruelty, pp. 329-331

William Shakespeare, The seven ages of man, p. 332

previously published as: Lantern readings original and selected: vol. I (1873)

Original example known to exist in private collection