By William De Morgan. 4th Printing. $1.75.
A notable novel of life near London in the fifties.
From Mr. Melville's article in the Times Review: "It is epic in its conception, magnificent in its presentment.... 'Joseph Vance' is a book for laughter and for tears, and for smiles mingled with an occasional sob, that triumph achieved only by the best of humorists.... One of the tenderest figures in modern fiction.... I write this before the appearance of 'Alice-for-short.' ... 'Joseph Vance,' in my opinion, is the book not of the last year, but of the last decade; the best thing in fiction since 'Mr. Meredith and Mr. Hardy'; a book that must take its place, by virtue of its tenderness and pathos, its wit and humor, its love of human kind, and its virile characterization, as the first great English novel that has appeared in the twentieth century."
Alice-for-short
By William De Morgan. 4th Printing. $1.75.
The experiences, some of them decidedly dramatic, of a London waif, the artist who was kind to her, and of his family and friends.
Dial: "'Joseph Vance' was far and away the best novel of the year, and of many years.... Mr. De Morgan's second novel proves to be no less remarkable, and equally productive of almost unalloyed delight.... The reader is hereby warned that if he skims 'Alice-for-short' it will be to his own serious loss. The cream reaches to the dregs.... A story of extraordinary interest.... A remarkable example of the art of fiction at its noblest."
N. Y. Times Review: "He is no more afraid to set down the little language of lovers and children and mothers than he is to deal with murder or suicide or ghosts.... These two novels of his seem to us to prove not only that the English novel is not dead, but that it is safe to develop on the lines laid down by the old masters."