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.”