Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. The Flea by Harold Russell was first published in 1913. The text contains a variety of information regarding fleas, much of which had only recently been discovered by zoologists at the time of publication.