BOOKS WORTH READING

Daily Telegraph.—“He writes fluently, and he has genuine enthusiasm for his subject, and an intimate acquaintance with his work. Moreover, the book has been submitted to Mr Kipling, whose characteristic letter to the author is set forth on the preface.… Of Kipling’s heroes Mr Monkshood has a thorough understanding, and his remarks on them are worth quoting” (extract follows).

Globe.—“It has at the basis of it both knowledge and enthusiasm—knowledge of the works estimated and enthusiasm for them. This book may be accepted as a generous exposition of Mr Kipling’s merits as a writer. We can well believe that it will have many interested and approving readers.”

Scotsman.—“This well-informed volume is plainly sincere. It is thoroughly well studied, and takes pains to answer all the questions that are usually put about Mr Kipling. The writer’s enthusiasm carries both himself and his reader along in the most agreeable style. One way and another his book is full of interest, and those who wish to talk about Kipling will find it invaluable, while the thousands of his admirers will read it through with delighted enthusiasm.”

Spectator.—“A highly interesting book.”

Daily Mail.—“An interesting biography full of good things.”

Sunday Sun.—“A pleasant and interesting memoir.”

Whitehall Review.—“a truly delightful book.… Written in no mean spirit of adulation, it is a well-balanced, characteristic, and fair estimate of a personality and a mind far above the average.”

Sunday Special.—“It is an intensely interesting life story Mr Pemberton has to tell.… This little volume is eminently readable, full of excellent stories and anecdotes, and is in short a very admirable commentary upon the work of one of the brightest masters of the pen that the great continent oversea has produced.”

Daily Express.—“Every true lover of Bret Harte ought to get Mr T. Edgar Pemberton’s book. There are not many authors, alas! that would bear study at close range, but here certainly is one where knowledge of his early struggles and trials will only increase our affection and interest in the man himself and his stories. Mr Pemberton has shown in this book the qualities of an ideal biographer. His touch is light, his figure stands clear, and we find in his work a strong human note we learned long years ago to associate with the creator of M’Liss.”

Daily News.—“Mr Wratislaw’s work is always dignified and eloquent, and not without critical acuteness.”

Review of the Week.—“It is not only a study, it is an entertainment. It has dignity and no dulness.… Though an appreciation, it is not an exaggeration. The summing up, though masterly, is not tyrannical. It is concise and sufficient, and is as artistically written as artistically informed. Author and publisher have combined to make the book one not only to peruse, but to possess. The price is more than moderate, the format more than presentable.”

Court Circular.—“This little volume forms an excellent handbook to his (Swinburne’s) writing. It is not simply an eulogy, but rather a discriminate appreciation and a loving analysis of the poet’s works, which are dealt with chronologically as they were published. The exposition helps greatly to elucidate many of the poems, and the criticisms are fair and unbiassed. Those who know their Swinburne well will find a new pleasure in the poems after reading this book, and those who have hitherto been deterred from studying him are put in possession of a golden key to unlock the gateway of an enchanted garden. Mr Wratislaw has fulfilled his task ably and well, and has earned the gratitude of all lovers of English poetry.”

Weekly Sun (T. P. O’Connor) says:—A Book of the Week—“I have found this slight and unpretentious little volume bright, interesting reading. I have read nearly every line with pleasure.”

Illustrated London News.—“The story Mr Scott has to tell is full of varied interest, and is presented with warmth and buoyancy.”

Punch.—“What pleasant memories does not Clement Scott’s little book, ‘The Wheel of Life,’ revive! The writer’s memory is good, his style easy, and above all, which is a great thing for reminiscences, chatty.”

Pilot.—“This book will be eagerly read by all who, not having had an opportunity of seeing this or that actor in the character, is anxious to know ‘how it was done.’”

Court Circular.—“Interesting and valuable. Indeed it would be difficult to name any better theatrical criticism. The style is nervous and vivid, and the critical acumen displayed of a high order.… The criticisms are a valuable contribution to dramatic literature, and will be read with great interest by all playgoers.”

Glasgow Herald.—“The dramatic critic’s vivid impressions and subtle analysis enable us to compare the varied interpretations which dramatic genius have put upon Shakespeare’s great creation. They will make interesting reading for the student as well as the playgoer, for Mr Scott does not fail to note deviations from this or that text, and departures from traditional ‘points’ and hackneyed effects.”

Observer.—“The little book is bright and readable, and will come like a breath of country air to many unfortunates who are tied by the leg to chair, stool, or counter.”

Dundee Advertiser.—“It is all delightful, and almost as good as a holiday. The city clerk, the jaded shopman, the weary milliner, the pessimistic dyspeptic, should each read the book. It will bring a suggestion of sea breezes, the plash of waves, and all the accessories of a holiday by the sea.”

Morning Post.—“Brightly written and full of observation that throws vivid and playful sidelights here and there, and provides entertainment that does not always appertain to works of travel.”

Daily Express.—“A delightful and intimate work.”

Sunday Special.—“There is an intense enthusiasm, a poetic fervour, and a dry sense of humour, such as you only find at intervals among books.”

Outlook.—“These records of Reiselust, or go-fever, as we may call them, are off the beaten track, are novel, manly and picturesque.”

Standard.—“The book is written with humour, his impressions of men and places are vivid, and the charm of the volume is heightened by illustrations, some of which bring us face to face with typical natives of the East, whilst others afford fair glimpses of tropical scenery.”

Daily Graphic.—“A fascinating work in which Captain Mayne Reid’s life is carefully and sympathetically sketched.”

World.—“The career of this popular writer was adventurous and thrilling, and Mrs Mayne Reid tells in the most entertaining manner the literary history of her husband and the eventful incidents of his career. Altogether it is a fascinating biography of an interesting person.”

Weekly Despatch.—“A truly fascinating volume which should be read by everyone.”

Daily Telegraph (W. L. Courtney) says:—“It is a wonderful book that Mr Downing has written, and no brief analysis could do it adequate justice.”

Review of the Week.—“It is a very remarkable book, and the ideas set forth in it are startlingly original.… The man who is not moved to think deeply after reading this book must indeed be ‘dead to the soul.’ In a style that is beautiful in its simplicity, Clelia works out his conclusions with marvellous skill.”

Westminster Review.—“Contains much sound criticism of a new and daring kind.… The book should be read by all Shakspearean students.”

Daily Chronicle.—“Intelligent and scholarly, acute and careful.”

Glasgow Herald.—“A knowledge of Shakspeare unrivalled except by Mr Swinburne.”

Scotsman.—“Really profound insight. Keen and clever analysis.”

Sketch.—“A complete and valuable work upon an important and interesting subject.”

St James’s Gazette.—“A large and handsome book. Well written and beautifully illustrated.”

Whitehall Review.—“The way Mr Rogers has done his work is a testimonial at once to his knowledge and a monument to his taste. This very handsome volume … is worthy of a place in anybody’s library.”

Bookman.—“An interesting and valuable book for all interested in poster work and poster collections. The illustrations are thoroughly representative and excellently produced.”

Daily Chronicle.—“We take pleasure in commending the book because of its freshness and genuine excellence. Mr Taber has undoubtedly struck what is a virgin soil so far as fiction is concerned. The local colour of the story is novel—so novel, in fact, as to give quite an unusual interest and value to the book.”

Umpire (Book of the Week).—“Mr Taber has the gift of story-telling, and he has the peculiar satisfaction of being first in an entirely new field. There is undoubted fascination in his pages.”

Outlook.—“Well written and decidedly entertaining. It is to be hoped that Mr Taber may produce another series of characteristic stories, as direct in their appeal to the sympathy as are these.”

Literature.—“Fresh and uncommon. Mr Taber really gets the Arctic atmosphere and feeling into his work.”

Review of the Week.—“An interesting little book. The scientific arguments are lucidly and convincingly put.”

Sunday Special.—“There is much curious information in this little book, first as to the scientific origin and formation of the feminine portion of humanity, and next as to woman’s limitations and powers.”

Scotsman.—“It is a suggestive essay on the eternal question of the Eternal Feminine, the principal points in which problem it states with neatness and brevity, and argues out with commendable conciseness.”

Standard.—“A book which is amusing from cover to cover. Bright epigrams abound in Mr Escott’s satirical pictures of the modern world.… Those who know the inner aspects of politics and society will, undoubtedly, be the first to recognise the skill and adroitness with which he strikes at the weak places in a world of intrigue and fashion.… There is a great deal of very clever sword-play in Mr Escott’s description of Dum-Dum (London), the capital of Paradoxia (England).”

Outlook.—“Decidedly you should read Mr Power-Berrey’s interesting book, taking laugh and shudder as they come.”

Sheffield Independent.—“We do not remember to have ever seen a more popularly-written summary of the methods of thieves than this bright and chatty volume. It is the work of a writer who evidently has a most intimate knowledge of the criminal classes, and who can carry on a plain narrative briskly and forcibly. The book fascinates by its freshness and unusualness.”

Liverpool Review.—“This is no fanciful production, but a clear, dispassionate revelation of the dodges of the professional criminal. Illustrated by numerous pen and ink sketches, Mr Power-Berrey’s excellent work is useful as well as interesting, for it will certainly not assist the common pilferer to have all his little tricks made public property in this lucid and easily-rememberable style.”

Australian Mail.—“A useful little book. We can strongly recommend it to the chairmen of public companies.”

Stage.—“A carefully-composed treatise, obviously written by one as having authority. Students will find it of great service.”

Literary World.—“The essentials of elocution are dealt with in a thoroughly capable and practical way. The chapter on public speaking is particularly satisfactory.”

Lloyd’s.—“Full of reverence, yet glows with vivid imagination.… These are Bible stories in a most novel and attractive form, never irreverent, but full of the keenest interest.”

British Weekly.—“Among the many attempts which have recently been made to fill out the Bible stories with the realistic touches suggested by our increased knowledge of the conditions of life in ancient times, this anonymous volume will take a high place. Seven stories are retold, some from the Old, some from the New Testament. To certain tastes they may seem too elaborately wrought, the author evidently relishes what is gorgeous, and his descriptions of Potiphar’s house are very richly inlaid with ornament, but whatever be the judgment of readers in this respect, there can be no question as to the effective realism of the narratives. Certainly some of the stories will convey both to children and adults fresh and memorable conceptions of Biblical scenes.”

Daily Mail (Glasgow).—“The story unfolded is very interesting and full of exciting incidents.”

Aberdeen Free Press.—“A highly readable piece of work, and it would, we feel sure, if suitably mounted and in the hands of capable actors, prove eminently effective on the stage. The action is rapid, there are no diffuse vapourings, and there is ample scope for attractive scenic effect.”

Independent (Sheffield).—“The Assyrian setting makes a novel background, and there is movement and some striking situations in the play.”

To-day.—“It is a very sensible book, and Apollo knows what he is talking about.”

County Gentleman.—“Will prove useful to aspiring young athletes.”

Westminster Gazette.—“Those who take an interest in Physical Culture will find the manual instructive and useful.”

Football Echo.—“‘Ideal Physical Culture’ scatters to the wind much of the nonsense and bunkum written ad nauseam about the strong man, his biceps, his triceps, the muscular fat, and his stupendous feats.”

Morning Post.—“Contains a great deal of pleasing information concerning the origin of our nursery songs, fairy tales and games … and the author treats his subject in a manner which is both entertaining and intelligible.”

World.—“Will be found entertaining by everybody.”

Spectator.—“The reader will find much curious matter in Mr Green’s volume.”

Examiner (Cork).—“A comprehensive and thoroughly interesting book.”

Madame.—“A most interesting book.… To those mothers who have their children round them in the story-telling twilight this book of Mr Green’s should be a treasury of delight.”

Observer.—“That East Anglia exercises a very potent spell over those who once come under its influence is proved by the case of George Borrow, and all who share in the fascination will delight in this brightly written, companionable little volume.”

Graphic.—“It is a prettily got up and readable little book.”

Saturday Review.—“Will be welcomed by all who have come under the charm of East Anglia.”

Mr Andrew Lang, in the course of a long and laudatory notice in Longman’s Magazine, said:—“It is a strange photograph of rude and violent life. The narrator always carries his life in his fist. He describes, better than any other writer, the existence of a tramp, and gives an amazing account of the brutality, and even torture, practised on workers in some parts of the United States.… The book is as simple in style as Swift’s writing; a kind of labouring Trelawny might have fathered these adventures of a younger son.”

Mr Richard Le Gallienne (in the Idler).—“‘A Man Adrift’ has held me as few recent books have power to do. The book is ‘real’ because it has first been really lived, and then been really written. Mr Kennedy’s book has held me, not only by its reality, but by its courage, its pity, its humour, its all-embracing humanity, its quiet fierceness. ‘A Man Adrift’ is a brave book.”

Morning Leader.—“The record of an adventurous life, when well told, always appeals to the imagination and sympathy of the reader, and ‘A Man Adrift’ is such a record. Presumably the adventures are real; they have all the vividness of reality at all events, and one follows the hardships and wanderings of the narrator with keen interest.… Mr Kennedy is to be congratulated on his ‘Man Adrift.’”

County Gentleman.—“This is the book of a strong man. It has vigour, originality and power, and comes as a refreshing change after the maudlin sentimentality of most modern stories.… Mr Kennedy has a characteristic style. He writes in short, crisp sentences that are at once direct and fearless. It is mainly his own story that he tells in this strangely fascinating volume.”

Great Thoughts.—“The most beautiful book on my table is ‘Woman and the Wits.’… In this lovely volume of about 200 pages some of the wisest, wittiest, tenderest epigrams on woman and on cognate topics to be found in ancient and modern times, have been brought together with taste and judgment.”

Ladies’ Pictorial.—“The compiler of this dainty little volume has produced a veritable lucky bag for the dipper who is anxious to find something smart and clever.”

Madame.—“A book that should find favour on every woman’s table.”

Literary World.—“The epigrams are well selected, and should form a perfect armoury for any young bachelor put up to propose the toast of ‘The Ladies.’… There is good variety too.”

Sun.—“Mr Longstaff has real fire and passion in all of his work. He has a graceful touch and a tuneful ear. There is exquisite melody in his metre.”

Times.—“He has passion and energy enough to stock half a dozen average minor poets.… But he has in him something of the stuff of which poetry—as opposed to verse—is made.”

Court Circular.—“Unquestionably a poet of a very high order—musical, suggestive, imaginative and picturesque. ‘In the Times to come’ is a beautiful poem, full of suggestion, with a subtle melody of its own. How well Mr Longstaff can write is seen in ‘A Hopeless Dawn.’ It is the work of a true poet. Mr Longstaff’s poems deserve more extended notice. There is art in his work, and music; and his verse is full of promise. Mr Longstaff’s muse is frank and sincere, and many of his readers will forgive her for not posing as a prude.”

Speaker.—“We hail with the greatest pleasure Mr George Bartram’s ‘Ballads of Ghostly Shires.’”

Academy.—“His descriptive passages have the true poetic touch, and a fresh grace about them. He is, in truth, well worth reading, and has the distinction of writing narrative verse well in a lyric age. It is a breezy, picturesque, taking little book.”

Athenæum.—“Mr Bartram has the gift of description, and his vigorous narrative verse moves swiftly.”

Sunday Sun.—“Remarkable and beautiful poems. Enjoyable reading.”

Scotsman.—“This is a pleasant and an interesting volume of healthy English verse.… The book deserves to be read, and will interest any curious lover of poetry.”

North Star.—“Amusing and instructive poems illustrative of village life. Those who are on the lookout for new recitations should examine this volume.”

Glasgow Herald.—“His humour and satire are genial and well-meaning. He is not without sentiment, and his lyrical pieces will be heartily appreciated.”

Morning Leader.—“There is some good stuff and not a little quaint feeling in the verses of Rupert Upperton.”

St Andrew’s.—“Many a simple soul—and there are millions of such in our land—utterly unable to appreciate the poetry of the critics, will find itself charmed, purified and elevated by the kindly muse of Mr Upperton. Messrs Greening & Co. have done their work well, and enshrined these ‘woodnotes wild’ in a beautiful piece of letterpress.”

Bookman.—“This edition of Irving’s famous legends is in every way to be commended. Type, paper and illustrations are good, and Mr Fitz-Gerald adds to the originals the stage and literary history of ‘Rip van Winkle,’ which is well worth reading.”

Pall Mall Gazette.—“A pretty and interesting little book.”

Topical Times.—“A really interesting memento, and it costs only 2s.—a perfectly absurd price for a book of this size and quality. Beautifully bound in green cloth, red lettered, it is well printed, and artistically illustrated by Mr Will G. Mein.”

St James’s Gazette.—“The splendid panorama it gives of some of the most stirring and far-reaching events in Scottish history, and the skill shown by the author in so arranging his materials that the historic is always subordinated to the human interest, render the book in every way worthy of revival.”

Morning Leader.—“Well printed and pleasant to handle.”

Globe.—“A very acceptable edition. The text is set forth in large, bold type; Mr W. S. Rogers supplies eight graphic illustrations, while Mr Justin Hannaford furnishes an introduction in which the literary history of the story is pleasantly recounted.”

Saturday Review.—“A work of vivid and picturesque imagination, great power, and no small originality. It is saturated with the fragrance and voluptuousness of the East.”

Outlook.—“In the way of Eastern romances ‘Vathek’ has always easily stood first. The present edition is handsomely got up, and contains several well-executed illustrations.”

Sun.—“A delightful edition artistically bound and attractively got up. Mr John Hassall is seen at his best in the illustrations.”

Glasgow Herald.—“We recommend it, not only as one of the most interesting, but as without exception, and in every sense of the word, the most readable of Dumas’s works.”

Bookman.—“An interesting, well-produced reprint of Moore’s popular Eastern romance.”

Great Thoughts.—“It is as bright, and fresh and entertaining as when first it took the reading world by storm in 1827.”

Whitehall Review.—“This reprint is welcome, and the manner in which it is printed, bound and produced, is a credit to the eminent firm who are responsible for the edition.”

Several well-known and popular works by great writers are in active preparation for this artistic series of masterpieces.

Saturday Review.—“An absorbing and delightful story, and we are sure it will be read with the greatest pleasure by those who can best appreciate the merits of the finer kinds of fiction.”

British Weekly.—“A good story, dramatic, poetic and pathetic.”

Daily Graphic.—“An admirable translation of a fine, intensely human tragedy. One reads it from first to last entirely fascinated.”

Bookman.—“A deeply impressive story it is, and if Madame Orzeszko has written others equally good, we must hope Count de Soissons will translate them for us.”

St James’s Gazette.—“A curious and interesting story, which, apart from its power, deserves notice because of the novelty of its material. The jaded appetite, weary of English drawing-rooms, Californian mines, and Indian flirtations, will here find an absolutely fresh entourage to a very remarkable story.… It is pictorial, poetic and dramatic.”

Liverpool Review.—“‘The Modern Argonauts’ is a remarkable piece of fiction; a work of powerful conception, of original and charming expression, and of noble and exhilarating thought.”

Spectator.—“Madame Orzeszko paints in ‘The Modern Argonauts’ the domestic tragedy of a successful modern millionaire with a boldness and a vigour that remind one of Jokai. The characterisation shows the influence of modern ideas in their most advanced and disintegrating form.… It is a luridly picturesque problem novel.”

Daily News.—“The picture which Madame Orzeszko presents, painted on impressionist lines, with suggestions of the symbolistic school, is distinctly striking.… Each of the characters in this stirring work is individualised with great skill.”

Daily Chronicle.—“A powerful story, clever and amusing.”

Dundee Courier.—“The story is powerful; the English vigorous; the moral commendable.”

Evening Times.—“Its power fascinates us. The originality of the conception, the skill with which the characters are drawn, and the vigour and vividness of the writing testify not only to keen insight into human nature, but to Madame Orzeszko’s maintenance to the eve of threescore years rare and youthful freshness.”

Saturday Review.—“It is piquant and up-to-date. Miss Milecete’s style is engagingly direct and simple, and she has a natural talent for story-telling.”

Topical Times.—“A pretty story, charmingly written.… It is pleasant to read, mainly because it is well written, but its glimpses of existence in Canada and West End life do not lack either picturesqueness or humour.”

Outlook.—“There is some clever writing in this novel, and the Canadian chapters are particularly fresh and picturesque.”

Ladies’ Pictorial.—“A clever and audacious book. The story is told in letters, and very clever letters they are … Miss Vandeleur is not nervy, and I prefer her wholesome audacity to the wild wailing of ‘The Love Letters of an Englishwoman.’”

Court Circular.—“A bright and fascinating book.”

Truth.—“A light and bright modern story of a divorcée with herself as co-respondent. Her habit of masquerading as a man got her into this truly American scrape, and the truly American way in which she got out of it and was re-united to her Othello, is told in the difficult form of letters with a spirit worthy of so whimsical a plot.”

Athenæum.—“This book is decidedly interesting. The authors have a very pleasant gift of gaiety and an agreeable way of expressing themselves.”

Daily News.—“Both interesting and amusing.”

Record.—“Very clever and humorous.”

Daily Graphic.—“A clever and entertaining novel.”

Christian World.—“The incidents connected with the four years’ rectorship of Tom Huntley are cleverly arranged and as cleverly told.… We have nothing but praise for this book, which is strongly suggestive of George Eliot’s ‘Scenes from Clerical Life.’”

Sketch.—“Such easy epigrammatic talk as is to be found in this book is not often met with. It is witty and delightful, and the characters seem to be drawn from life with a master-pen.”

Scotsman.—“An excellent story, well written and easily read.”

Sunday Special.—“Can be recommended as a bright, terse, epigrammatic novel of to-day. There are so few writers who are capable of constructing a neat and telling epigram that the present volume is doubly welcome.”

Vanity Fair.—“This novel is entertaining, suggestive, gently cynical and quick with promise.”

Madame.—“It is a crisp delineation of modern social life, abounding in excellent characterisation, sparkling dialogue and epigrams that are new and smart. There is scarcely a page of the book that does not contain a sentence worth reading a second time and then marking with pencil for another perusal.”

Daily Despatch.—“In ‘Red Fate’ we have a daring book. Messrs Greening have in Mr Forbes the writer of a strong book that will cause some talk.”

The Scotsman.—“The story possesses the merits of freshness, originality and ingenuity. It is written in an animated and picturesque style, and is full of life and incident.”

Onlooker.—“Mr Edmund Forbes has drawn a striking study, and his style and language are always most scholarly. Grellier is a real and living character. It is a book that could only have been written by one endowed with the imagination and musical pen that betray the poet.”

Literary World.—“Very entertaining reading.”

Dundee Advertiser.—“A singularly strong story.”

Morning Post.—“An ambitious book, ambitious in its style and in the bold way it affects to tackle matters which are generally reserved for private conversation. At the same time it were ungracious to deny that Mr Edgar Hewitt has written a very clever book, full of keen observation, and not unseasoned with humour.”

Gentlewoman.—“A powerful and interesting book, with the interest kept up till the end … altogether a very amusing and clever book.”

Midland Mail.—“An interesting story.… Exceedingly well written.”

Daily Despatch.—“‘The Magnetism of Sin’ is a story as choke full of mystery as any tale could be.… The author of the book—who is obviously a very daring young man—has written a story which is as remarkable in its way as ‘The Mystery of a Hansom Cab.’”

Evening News (Manchester).—“Lovers of the sensational in fiction will find plenty to interest them in ‘The Magnetism of Sin.’… The story is full of romance and dramatic incident, the chapters dealing with the raid on the house by the police, the fight for liberty, the bold escape of the double-dyed traitor, and his subsequent capture and execution in Australia being particularly thrilling.”

Dr Parker (of the City Temple) says:—“From beginning to end the action of the story is most vivid and most natural. It must certainly win itself many readers.”

Literary World.—“This novel is decidedly above the average.”

Daily Graphic.—“Amply repays for the reading, for it is written with a keen sense of the fitness of things, and without setting probability at nought—qualities not too frequently found in novels. It is written in a sympathetic style, and keeps the attention centred in the interesting career of the heroine.”

Topical Times.—“Brisk and spicy without being blatant and salacious … a very good book, which says a lot of things that wanted saying frankly but delicately. It is, at the same time, an engrossing romance.”

Globe.—“Readers will find plenty of cleverness and ‘go,’ the Bohemian side of artistic life being described with verisimilitude as well as graphic force.”

Books of To-day.—“A story of deep human interest, set forth with undoubted literary talent, sense of style, and an ability to handle pure narrative that is rare and welcome. A book which can not only be read with interest, but re-read.”

Morning Post.—“Written with unmistakable power.”

Weekly Times.—“Deserves to be the success of the season.”

World.—“Contains striking incidents graphically related. We cannot fail to admire the ingenuity displayed by the writer.”

St James’s Gazette.—“A strange and weird story is ‘A Son of Africa,’ the latest from the pen of Anna, Comtesse de Brémont, author of ‘The Gentleman Digger.’ From the writer of that story we expect and get vivid word-pictures and local colouring. The descriptions of scenery and incident are wonderfully striking and impressive.… Such is the story of ‘A Son of Africa’ in brief outline. The filling in is sometimes lurid, but always forceful. It is written with power and grip.”

Academy.—“The Comtesse de Brémont presents us with a terribly realistic picture of life in Johannesburg during the raging of the gold fever.”

Daily Telegraph.—“Those who like a good story, pleasantly told, should read ‘The Gentleman Digger.’… Readers who turn their attention to this volume will, apart from the interesting plot, gain much insight into the manners and customs of a land which is only just breaking into civilisation as we understand it.”

Spectator.—“The characters are true to life, and the narration is continuous and spirited. The Comtesse de Brémont knows how to describe people and places, and there is local colouring.”

Scotsman.—“One may run through the story of ‘Mora’ with considerable enjoyment of the brisk development of an amusing little drama.… It is clever in contrivance, and lively and entertaining.”

Athenæum.—“The story is pleasing and wholesome. Its general character is that of a comedy with occasional lapses into the realm of drama.… ‘Mora’ is quite like literature, with some amusing scenes, and a general prevalence of good temper.”

Lady.—“A strong and dramatic novel.”

Record.—“The story shows great power and the character of Julie is a wonderful creation.”

North Star.—“The book is considerably above the average, and bears evidence of insight into character and skill in plot construction of no mean order. The story has a thrilling interest, and is dramatically told.”

Illustrated London News.—“Full of incident and movement.”

Weekly Despatch.—“This is a very pretty love story charmingly told. The characters are cleverly drawn. There are, of course, trials, and the lights and shadows of a woman’s troubled career, but what love story was ever written without its trials and the inevitable ‘all’s well’? In the case of ‘Ira Lorraine’ the end is satisfactory.”

Daily News.—“A very bright and breezy little story, wholesome and amusing.”

Athenæum.—“May be heartily recommended. A really ingenious story, and provides quite pleasurable excitement, while throughout the book runs a vein of facetious humour which will make it doubly welcome.”

Echo.—“A very sprightly tale, which, despite the extravagance of its leading motive, is full of humour—good humour and human nature.”

Daily Telegraph.—“The author of the unquestionably humorous and conspicuously successful ‘Pottle Papers’ has given the novel-reading public another ‘taste of his quality’ in this fantastic story.… The element of surprise predominates throughout this eminently entertaining narrative; unexpectedness is the essential characteristic of all its more salient incidents, comical or tragical; its dialogue sparkles with genuine, irresistible fun.”

Spectator.—“Mr Tristram Coutts has a genuine gift of humour, and his account of the chequered courtship of a young London clerk is enlivened with many hilarious touches. The account of the household of Mr Merridew, the irrepressible, if impecunious, optimist who named all his numerous progeny after famous commanders and authors, is really delightful.”

Scotsman.—“Carefully constructed and written with skill, which makes it always agreeable to read.”

Literary World.—“An interesting, brightly-written story.”

Weekly Times.—“Very powerfully written. Will be read with breathless interest.”

Vanity Fair.—“A very entertaining novel.”

Sun.—“An undoubtedly clever novel, told in vigorous language.”

St James’s Budget.—“So full of incident is ‘Such is the Law’ that we are unable to do more than touch the fringe of the plot, and must leave to the reader the task of watching the development of the new romance, which produces an aftermath of happiness for Lavender, and brings a thoroughly interesting story to a satisfactory close.”

Sun.—“A powerful, stirring tale of the present day. From start to finish it is interesting, especially to lady readers.”

Literary World.—“The writing is good, and many of the remarks are smart and pungent while free from any straining after cleverness.”

Record.—“Eminently readable throughout.”

Athenæum.—“The dialogue is natural and well rendered.”

Public Opinion.—“An excellent novel in every way.”

Bookman.—“An interesting story well told.”

Weekly Sun.—“A touching story and a clever one.”

Literature.—“The situations are … treated with a satirical bitterness of tone. But many of the scenes are strong in themselves, cleverly arranged, and treated with power and reticence.… There are occasional faults, but the tenderness with which Mary Paul’s self-sacrifice is recorded, makes us inclined to condone them and to congratulate the author.”

Daily Telegraph.—“The hero is an interesting dreamer, absorbed in his schemes, which are his one weakness. To women, save when they can further the good of his cause, he is obdurate; in business, strong, energetic and powerful. He is shown to us as the man with a master mind and one absorbing delusion, and as such is a pathetic figure. No one can dispute the prodigality and liveliness of the author’s imagination; his plot teems with striking incidents.”

Vanity Fair.—“The story tells itself very clearly in three hundred pages of very pleasant and entertaining reading. The men and women we meet are not the men and women we really come across in this world. So much the better for us. But we are delighted to read about them, for all that; and we prophesy success for Mr Ascher’s book, particularly as he has taken the precaution of telling us that he is ‘only in fun.’”

Pall Mall Gazette.—“The book is ingenious and cleverly constructed, and there is no lack of exciting reading, it is melodramatic, but is relieved by humour characteristic of Mr Golsworthy.”

Athenæum.—“A creditably ingenious tale of crime and detection, drawn with spirit and humour.”

Morning Post.—“We must give Mr Golsworthy high praise for the way in which he plays the game. Old hands as we are at these things, we were for a long time completely baffled by the plot as the most wooden-headed detective of fiction.… It is an excellent book of its particular kind. Mr Golsworthy has succeeded admirably in the careful, clever, amusing character-drawing of an odd group of subsidiary folk. These are very human people who stick in the mind after the book is closed.”

Public Opinion.—“This novel is a daring attack. The author, whoever he may be, is a clever writer, and the pictures of the seamy side of idle London life are described by him with vivid power.”

The Outlook.—“Something wrong-headed, sensual, and Corellian is anticipated, nor is one disappointed.… Bound to command the public.”

Christian World.—“A pungent, cleverly-written, and altogether out-of-the-common-rut Society novel. The author unsparingly exposes the ‘little ways’ of smart people.… Every sane reader will wish the author success in his efforts to expose the hollowness and rottenness of ‘aristocratic virtuous London.’”

The North Star.—“The book is of a most daring character, but the author has treated his theme in a very clever manner.… Messrs W. H. Smith & Son refuse to circulate ‘Shams,’ objecting to it on moral grounds. This act on their part, however, will not greatly interfere with the sale of the book, which really castigates vice. We believe it will be as widely read as the works of Ouida and Marie Corelli.”

To-day.—“There is no lack of excitement in ‘Zoroastro.’ The tale is a good one, and should be popular.”

St James’s Gazette.—“A sound and entertaining piece of work.”

Universe.—“A splendidly-written romance of a sixteenth-century magician, and there is no lack of interest throughout the book. The various ideas of the time, descriptions of the customs and modes of living, are cleverly woven into the story.”

Vanity Fair says:—“The hand that wrote the ‘Silver King’ has by no means lost its cunning in painting broad effects of light and shadow. The description of life in Broadmoor is, we fancy, done from actual observation. It is quite new.” And the critic of Black and White sums it up pithily as “A story which holds our attention and interests us right from the first chapter. The book is as exciting as even a story of sensation has any need to be.” Speaking of the scene of Mr Herman’s drama, the beautiful county of Devonshire, where the greater part of the story takes place, the Manchester Courier says: “The author’s descriptive powers vividly portray the lovely spots by the winding Tamar, while the rich dialect of the district is so faithfully reproduced as to become not the least feature of an exciting tale.”

Liverpool Review.—“A smart, anonymous novel. The story is capitally written, and is extremely interesting. Evelyn Gray’s adventures are narrated in a style so realistic as to leave the impression that the writer is either a medical man or one who has had very intimate acquaintance with hospital life.”

Lloyd’s.—“A strong book, and one that readers will find interesting. It is undoubtedly clever and well written.”

Daily Graphic.—“The characters are cleverly drawn, and the revelations of hospital life, of private nursing, and of the manners and customs of the ‘celibate’ clergy should ensure the volume considerable popularity.”

St James’s Gazette.—“We have read the book from start to finish with unflagging interest—an interest, by the way, which derives nothing from the ‘spice,’ for though its title may be suggestive of Zolaism, there is not a single passage which is open to objection. The literary style is good.”

Truth.—“I much prefer the ghastly story ‘Seven Nights with Satan,’ a very clever study of degeneration.”

Mr Douglas Sladen in The Queen.—“A remarkably clever book.… There is no disputing the ability with which the writer handles her subject. I say her subject, because the minuteness of the touches, and the odd, forcible style in which this book is written, point to it being the work of a female hand. The book is an eminently readable one, and it is never dull for a minute.”

The Monitor.—“A wonderful piece of writing. The only modern parallel we can find is supplied in Mr F. C. Philipps’s ‘As in a Looking Glass.’”

Whitehall Review.—“In ‘The Green Passion’ the author traces with much ability, and not a little analytical insight, the progress of jealousy in the breast of a woman who is born with a very ‘intense,’ although not a very deep, nature.… There is in Mr Vert’s work a certain tendency towards realism which has its due effect in making his characters real. They are no loosely-built fancies of the journalistic brain, but portraits—almost snapshot portraits—of men and women of to-day.”

Punch.—“‘Madonna Mia’ is genuinely interesting. All the stories are good; you are ‘Scott free’ to pick ’em where you like.” (The Baron de B. W.)

Weekly Sun.—“Shows Mr Scott’s sturdy character-painting and love of picturesque adventure.”

World.—“Clement Scott is nothing if not sympathetic, and every one of the ten stories is not only thoroughly readable, but is instinct with sentiment; for Mr Scott still retains a wonderful enthusiasm, usually the attribute of youth. ‘Drifting’ is a very fresh and convincing narrative, founded, we understand, upon truth, and containing within a small compass the materials for a very stirring drama. ‘A Cross of Heather,’ too, is a charming romance, told with real pathos and feeling.”

Observer.—“A story full of exciting adventure.”

Saturday Review.—“The plot is ingenious, and the style pleasant.”

Daily Telegraph.—“Lovers of the sensational in fiction will find abundance of congenial entertainment in Mr W. P. Kelly’s new story. In the way of accessories to startling situations all is fish that comes to this ingenious author’s net. The wonders of primitive nature, the marvels of latter-day science, the extravagances of human passion—all these he dexterously uses for the purpose of involving his hero in perilous scrapes from which he no less dexterously extricates him by expedients which, however far-fetched they may appear to the unimaginative, are certainly not lacking in originality of device or cleverness of construction.… This is a specimen incident—those which succeed it derive their special interest from the action of Rontgen rays, subterranean torrents, and devastating inundations. The book is very readable throughout, and ends happily. What more can the average novel reader wish for in holiday time?”

Public Opinion.—“A remarkable book.… We are plunged into a delicious and tantalising romance; incident follows incident like a panorama of exciting pictures. Fertility of imagination is everywhere apparent, and the dénouement is artfully concealed till it bursts upon the reader with a suddenness that fairly takes away his breath.”

Liverpool Post.—“A very skilfully-constructed story, mysterious and strange, with a natural explanation suggested of all the mystery which does not spoil one’s enjoyment (here follows analysis of plot). This is the bare outline of the story up to a certain point; it is impossible to convey adequately an idea of the awe-inspiring characteristics of the story. Readers can safely be recommended to turn to the book itself.”

Saturday Review.—“The great novel-reading public, which found ‘The Hypocrite’ to its taste, will not be disappointed in the author’s latest effort. The writer has a knack of character-presentment which means that his people live; he has a dramatic instinct; he is at times on the verge of real wit; he knows certain phases of literary and artistic life well; and his story is original enough to hold the interest throughout.”

St James’s Gazette.—“It is decidedly clever.… An improvement on ‘The Hypocrite.’ There is real power shown in the drawing of Kitty Nugent.”

Scotsman.—“You don’t get far into this novel—about a couple of pages—before the epigrams begin exploding and the repartee detonating, and the subtle terse and quart of wit with wit fuffuffing, like so many squibs and crackers on the Queen’s Birthday; and this coruscation is kept up in a way to make your hair curl until the end of the story.… The author has abundant literary aptitudes, exemplified over and over again by the pages of this clever book.”

⁂ This book has been “boycotted” by Messrs Mudie and Messrs W. H. Smith & Son as being “unfit to circulate in their libraries,” yet it has been praised by the press as being “a powerful sermon and a moral book.”

Daily Telegraph.—“A book by an anonymous author always arouses a certain inquiry, and when the book is clever and original the interest becomes keen, and conjecture is rife, endowing the most unlikely people with authorship.… It is very brilliant, very forcible, very sad.… It is perfect in its way, in style clear, sharp and forcible, the dialogue epigrammatic and sparkling.… Enough has been said to show that ‘The Hypocrite’ is a striking and powerful piece of work, and that its author has established his claim to be considered a writer of originality and brilliance.”

Literature.—“The story strikes the fresh note of having been lived, experienced, and does not come to one as a stale invention. There is human nature in it, and passion, of a kind: tragedy too.… We should say, ‘Read the book by all means.’”

Echo.—“Its general air of out-Bourget-ing Bourget. You will ‘see life’ in its story, no doubt, for it has a measure of pathos, insight and power, but most certainly you will not see life steadily.”

Morning Leader.—“Vivid with the strange lusts and cruel desires of an imagination enslaved to the body … powerful enough in the imaginative treatment of the characters.… The luridness is simply Titanic.”

M. A. P.—“Very light and dainty in its tone. ‘In Monte Carlo’ is a typical example of the work of the great Polish writer.… It is the old, old tale of a man with a maid—plus a lady with the instincts of the vampire, who lives in the gambling hell of Europe.”

Pall Mall Gazette.—“It is beyond all question the work of a great artist. It is subtly analytical and psychologically true. So triumphant is the art of the Polish novelist that we follow the story with lively sympathy and unflagging interest.… It is always interesting; the clear, able and convincing portrayal of the two leading characters gives the book its chief value. There are wise sayings and occasional epigrams, and the thumbnail sketches of Mrs Elsen’s lovers are wholly admirable.”

Monitor.—“‘My Lady Ruby’ is charming, and as witty as she is charming.… ‘John Basileon’ evinces imagination and subtlety of a highly vivid and intense quality. The note of the book is modern, but of a modernity far removed from that of the term understood by the French Symbolists and the English Degenerates. Messrs Greening & Co. are to be congratulated on a publication which is likely to arouse considerable attention in those literary circles from which approbation is praise indeed.”

Graphic.—“The volume will please and amuse numberless people.”

Pall Mall Gazette.—“A pleasant, cheery story. Displays a rich vein of robust imagination.”

Standard.—“There are many pleasant pages in ‘Fame, the Fiddler,’ which reminds us of ‘Trilby,’ with its pictures of Bohemian life, and its happy-go-lucky group of good-hearted, generous scribblers, artists and playwrights. Some of the characters are so true to life that it is impossible not to recognise them. Among the best incidents in the volume must be mentioned the production of Pryor’s play, and the account of poor Jimmy Lambert’s death, which is as moving an incident as we have read for a long time. Altogether, ‘Fame, the Fiddler’ is a very human book, and an amusing one as well.”

St James’s Budget.—“A volume characteristic of the author’s splendid powers.”

M. A. P.—“Mr Kennedy writes powerfully, and can grip the reader’s imagination, or whirl it off into the strangest domains of glamour and romance at will.… There is a future for this clever young man from Tipperary. He will do great things.”

Critic.—“Of a highly imaginative order, and distinctly out of the ordinary run.… The author has a remarkable talent for imaginative and dramatic presentation. He sets before himself a higher standard of achievement than most young writers of fiction.”

Cork Herald.—“Gracefully written, easy and attractive in diction and style, the stories are as choice a collection as we have happened on for a long time. They are clever; they are varied; they are fascinating. We admit them into the sacred circle of the most beautiful that have been told by the most sympathetic and skilled writers.… Mr Kennedy has a style, and that is rare enough nowadays—as refreshing as it is rare.”

Lady.—“A thrilling romance with a mediæval atmosphere, although the scene is laid in the Cotswolds in the year of grace 1898. The story is well constructed, and is a good example of the widely-imaginative type of fiction that is so eagerly devoured by young people nowadays.”

Eastern Morning News.—“Readers will be fascinated by the stirring scenes, the swiftly-moving panorama, the enacted tragedies, the wild, passionate, lawless loves depicted in the most sensational manner in this volume.”

Outlook.—“The book is both humorous and dramatic.”

Vanity Fair.—“The author has a peculiar knowledge of the ‘Halls’ and those who frequent them; and especially, as it seems to us, of those Jewish persons who sometimes run them. And he has made good use of his knowledge here. But there is more than this in the book; for ‘George Martyn’ has considerable descriptive talent. His account, for instance, of the fight between the hero and the butcher is quite good. The story is straightforward, convincing, and full of human nature and promise.”

The Outlook.—“Mr Bart Kennedy, a young writer of singular imaginative gifts, and a style as individual as Mr Kipling’s.… The writing of this story is strongly original in manner.… A powerful book.”

Weekly Times.—“‘The Wandering Romanoff’ is really good work.… We have read nothing finer for a long while.”

Midland Mail.—“The characters are vividly drawn. There are many pleasant and painful incidents in the book, which is interesting from beginning to end.”

Aberdeen Free Press.—“Mrs Bradshaw has written several good novels, and the outstanding feature of all of them has been her skilful development of plot, and her tasteful, pleasing style. In connection with the present story we are able to amply reiterate those praises. The plot again is well developed and logically carried out, while the language used by the authoress is always happy and well chosen, and never commonplace.… The story is a very powerful one indeed, and may be highly commended as a piece of painstaking fiction of the very highest kind.”

Evening Times.—“We must congratulate Mr Loughnan on his originality in conceiving an extraordinary character, and on working out the story with quite blood-curdling thrill.”

Glasgow Herald.—“If the leading idea of the story is a little exaggerated, there can be no doubt as to the skill with which the author has worked out the details.”

North British Advertiser.—“A thrilling tale of love and madness.”

Whitehall Review.—“No one can complain of lack of sensation, it is full of startling episodes. The characters are drawn with a rapid and vigorous touch. The interest is well maintained.”

Court Circular.—“It reminds us forcibly of a story in real life that engrossed public attention many years ago. Whether this was in the author’s mind we cannot say, but the book is deeply interesting, the characters well and strongly drawn, and we doubt not this tale will fascinate many a reader.”

Scotsman.—“The book is lightly and briskly written throughout. Its pleasant cynicism is always entertaining.”

St James’s Budget.—“A sporting romance which is indisputably cleverly written.… The book is full of interesting items of sporting life which are fascinating to lovers of the turf.”

Sporting Life.—“The character of the heartless roue, who tells his story, is very well sustained, and the rich parvenu, Peter Drewitt, the owner of the favourite that is very nearly nobbled by the unscrupulous Beauclerc, is cleverly drawn. Altogether it is an exciting and an uncommon tale, and is quite correct in all the sporting details.”

Outlook.—“A good story cleverly told and worked out.”

Echo.—“A very natural and interesting tale is carefully set forth in Ellen Williams’s clever little book.”

Monitor.—“Miss Williams has here seized on an original concept, and given it fitting presentation. The ‘experiment’ is a novel one, and its working out is a deft piece of writing. The psychology of the work is faultless, and this study of a beautiful temperament, in a crude frame, has with it the verity of deep observation and acute insight.… We await with considerable confidence Miss Williams’s next venture.”

Sheffield Independent.—“The writer has treated a delicate and unusual situation with delicacy and originality. The heroine’s character is drawn with firmness and clearness, and the whole story is vivid and picturesque.… The history of the experiment is exceedingly well told. Keen insight into character, and cleverness in its delineation, as well as shrewd observation and intense sympathy, mark the writer’s work, while the style is terse and clear, and the management of trying scenes extremely good.”

Daily Graphic.—“Very easy, light reading, and reminds one of ‘Three Men in a Boat.’ Just the book for a railway journey.”

Bookman.—“A lively and very amusing tale of a wonderful discovery made by the Wise Antarctic Expedition.”

Glasgow Herald.—“An amusing skit on Polar expeditions.… The book contains plenty of fun.”

Whitehall Review.—“It is an amusing book, worth reading by those who are on the lookout for a hearty laugh.”

Vanity Fair.—“An amusing little book. It is very good fooling, and good fooling is sometimes better than heavy wisdom.”

Daily Telegraph.—“A remarkable tale. The narrative teems with surprises.… There is plenty of ‘go’ in ‘An Uncanny Girl.’”

Sir Edward Russell says in Liverpool Post:—“A very clever and subtle story.… The action is exciting, and the invention of incidents adroit. But beyond this popular merit there is that of clever and characteristic description.… Mrs Sadleir is ingenious as a story-teller, and vigorous and pungent as a writer.”

Graphic.—“A simple story invested with an unusual distinction and charm.”

Glasgow Times.—“A capital tale. Entertaining reading.”

Nottingham Guardian.—“A romance which holds one’s interest enthralled.”

Literary World.—“The story has a frank directness and a reality that make it thoroughly readable.… The story is well expressed and the characters have vitality. Altogether a satisfactory little tale.”

Daily Telegraph.—“The story is out of the common, both in manner and treatment.”

Lloyd’s.—“Clear and brilliant.”

Truth.—“The story is written with remarkable literary skill, and, notwithstanding its gruesomeness, is undeniably fascinating.”

Sketch.—“It is a well-written story. An admirable literary style, natural and concise construction, succeed in compelling the reader’s attention through every line. We hope to welcome the author again, working on a larger scene.”

Western Mercury.—“Clever sketches, intensely dramatic, original and forceful, based on scenes from actual life, and narrated with much skill.”

Weekly Times.—“A series of pictures sketched with considerable power. The last one, ‘Hell in Paradise,’ is terrible in the probable truth of conception.”

Northern Figaro.—“Mr Martin’s descriptive paragraphs are couched in trenchant, convincing language, without a superfluous word sandwiched in anywhere.… ‘Shadows’ may be read with much profit, and will give more than a superficial insight into various phases of society life and manners.”

Literary World.—“We do not remember having read a book that possessed the quality of grip in a greater degree than is the case with ‘Death and the Woman.’… Every page of every chapter develops the interest, which culminates in one of the most sensational dénouements it has been our lot to read. The flavour of actuality is not destroyed by any incredible incident; it is the inevitable thing that always happens. ‘Death and the Woman’ will supply to the brim the need of those in search of a holding drama of modern London life.”

Whitehall Review.—“Those who love a mystery with plenty of ‘go,’ and a story which is not devoid of a certain amount of realism, cannot do better than pick up ‘Fellow-Passengers.’ The characters are real men and women, and not the sentimental and artificial puppets to which we have been so long accustomed by our sensationalists. The book is brightly written, and of detective stories it is the best I have read lately.”

The Referee.—“Another little humorous book is ‘That Fascinating Widow,’ by Mr S. J. Adair Fitz-Gerald, who can be very funny when he tries. The story which gives the title to the book would make a capital farce. ‘The Blue-blooded Coster’ is an amusing piece of buffoonery.”

The Globe.—“The author, Mr S. J. Adair Fitz-Gerald, has already shown himself to be the possessor of a store of humour, on which he has again drawn for the furnishing of the little volume he has just put together. Among the tales included are several which might be suitable for reading or recitation, and none which are dull. Mr Fitz-Gerald frankly addresses himself to that portion of the public which desires nothing so much as to be amused, and likes even its amusements in small doses. Such a public will entertain itself very pleasantly with Mr Fitz-Gerald’s lively tales, and will probably name as its favourites those titled ‘Pure Cussedness,’ ‘Splidgings’ First Baby,’ and ‘The Blue-blooded Coster.’”

Truth.—“A decided acquisition to the children’s library.”

Ladies’ Pictorial.—“Quite one of the brightest of the season’s gift books.”

Morning Post.—“Bright and thoroughly amusing. It will please all children. The pictures are excellent.”

Echo.—“Of the pile (of children’s books) before us, Mr Adair Fitz-Gerald’s ‘Grand Panjandrum’ is the cleverest. Mr Fitz-Gerald needs no introduction to the nursery of these days.”

Pall Mall Gazette.—“A charming little book. Simply written, and therefore to be comprehended of the youthful mind. It will be popular, for the writer has a power of pleasing which is rare.”

Literary World.—“A handsomely-bound, mouth-watering, in every way up-to-date volume, written especially for and on behalf of the toddler or the newly breeched.”

People.—“A delightful story for children, something in the style of ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ but also having some flavour of Kingsley’s ‘Water Babies.’”

Sun.—“Good fairy stories are a source of everlasting joy and delight. Mr Adair Fitz-Gerald breaks fresh ground and writes pleasantly.… The book has the added advantage of being charmingly illustrated in colour by Gustave Doré.”

Weekly Sun.—“Mr Adair Fitz-Gerald is a well-known writer of fairy stories and humorous books for the young. ‘The Grand Panjandrum’ is just the sort of book to please youngsters of all ages, being full of pleasant imaginings, and introducing its readers to a host of curious people.”

St James’s Gazette.—“Full of quaint pictures, which will delight and amuse the little folks.”

Record.—“A really witty book. Just the sort of nonsense that appeals to little folk, and the pictures are quite laughable. There is an abundance of really good humour to be got from these pages, which are altogether free from vulgarity.”

World.—“Appeals directly to children, and would make a delightful present for any little boy or girl.”

Daily Telegraph.—“Will be productive of many a happy half-hour.”

Lloyd’s Newspaper.—“A very amusing book indeed is this volume of nonsense verse. The jingles are excellent and such as children delight in, while the pictures are also ludicrously funny.”

Vanity Fair.—“Most certainly entertaining, and readers will enjoy it. It is well illustrated.”

Scotsman.—“A lively book of comical yarns. It is frivolous, doubtless, but it is funny, and any reader will like it who enjoys a hearty laugh.”

Outlook.—“The stories are well told, and tend to provoke laughter.”

Phœnix.—“A delightful collection of stories. There is something refreshing and invigorating about them.”

Literary World.—“An amusing bit of humour.”

Midland Mail.—“A budget of fun, and good fun too. There is not a dull page in it.”

Sheffield Daily Telegraph.—“Anyone who wants a good laugh should get ‘The Pottle Papers.’ They are very droll reading for an idle afternoon, or picking up at any time when ‘down in the dumps.’ They are very brief and very bright, and it is impossible for anyone with the slightest sense of humour to read the book without bursting into ‘the loud guffaw’ which does not always ‘bespeak the empty mind.’”

Pall Mall Gazette.—“It contains plenty of boisterous humour of the Max Adeler kind … humour that is genuine and spontaneous. The author, for all his antics, has a good deal more in him than the average buffoon. There is, for example, a very clever and subtle strain of feeling running through the comedy in ‘The Love that Burned’—a rather striking bit of work. Mr Raven Hill’s illustrations are as amusing as they always are.”

DAN LENO, HYS BOOKE, is, says the Liverpool Review, “the funniest publication since ‘Three Men in a Boat.’ In this autobiographical masterpiece the inimitable King of Comedians tells his life story in a style that would make a shrimp laugh.”

This enormously successful book of genuine and spontaneous humour has been received with a complete chorus of complimentary criticisms and pleasing “Press” praise and approval. Here are a few reviewers’ remarks:—

Scotsman.—“Bombshells of fun.”

Lloyd’s.—“One long laugh from start to finish.”

Globe.—“Full of exuberant and harmless fun.”

English Illustrated Magazine.—“A deliciously humorous volume.”

Catholic Times.—“The fun is fast and furious.”

St Paul’s.—“It is very funny.”

These are a few opinions taken at random from hundreds of notices.

Says the Daily News (Hull):—“The funniest book we have read for some time. You must perforce scream with huge delight at the dry sayings and writings of the funny little man who has actually killed people with his patter and his antics. Page after page of genuine fun is reeled off by the great little man.”

St James’s Gazette.—“Distinctly clever.”

Globe.—“Mr Spurr goes in for humour, and with very considerable success.… Altogether he is as funny as he is fluent. Mr Hassall’s illustrations are also genuinely comic.”

Nottingham Guardian.—“The fun is genuine and hearty.”

Weekly Sun.—“These ‘Bachelor Ballads’ are excellent fun.”

Literary World.—“The book is good from beginning to end, and its excellent illustrations by John Hassall are fittingly humorous.”

Sheffield Independent.—“It is a rare thing to find humour in rhyme without vulgarity, and fun without feebleness. One is, as a rule, inclined to laugh too rarely with the joking poet, and sigh often at the pity of his hideous staleness. Mr Spurr is the exception. His unostentatious rhymes abound in neat literary turns, brim with good humour, and jig to a natural sprightliness. He can pass, too, the test of persistent punning without causing the gorge of the reader to rise. In brief, he is a really humorous versifier, and the illustrator of his work has happily caught his spirit. A man who can turn out in thirty-two lines twenty-five puns on cricket, and work in a love story too, may be regarded as having shouldered the mantle of Hood.”

Vanity Fair.—“A capital little guide book. No bulky volume this, but a handy booklet full of pithy information on all the most important subjects connected with our great city.”

Outlook.—“A handy booklet, more tasteful than one is accustomed to.”

Pelican.—“As full of useful and entertaining information as is an egg of meat.”

Bookman.—“A very lively and readable little guide.”

To-day.—“One of the best guide books for visitors to London. It is a model of lucidity and informativeness, and the profuse illustrations are admirably executed.”

Glasgow Herald.—“A useful little work for those who have no desire to wade through many pages of information before getting what they want.”