| 137 West 78th Street, New York, July 12th, 1892. | } |
Dear Mr. Dibble:
When you prevailed upon Major Kirkland to write the "Story of Chicago." you displayed once more your acumen. You induced the brilliant author of "Zury" to forego his imaginative work for a while, and to devote his talent to the narration of an "o'er true tale"—a tale, however, as strange and absorbing as any romance. I know he will get his reward, and I hope you will get yours.
But let me compliment you, heartily, upon the book itself, and upon the liberality and taste with which you have illustrated it. Every American is proud of Chicago, of her history, her great ambition, her financial and intellectual progress. Her record is faithfully set forth in your handsome volume. Whoever designs to visit Chicago and the Columbian Exposition should own and thoroughly read "The Story."
Ever sincerely yours,
Edmund C. Stedman.
Following the good practice of "letting other men do the talking," here are some of the countless public praises which came crowding in after the publication of each of the three novels:
KIRKLAND'S THREE NOVELS.
ONE NOVEL ("Zury") tells of life on Zury's farm, and another ("The McVeys") tells of life at Springville and early Chicago, with glimpses of Lincoln, Douglas, David Davis, etc., and bring together Zury and Anne Sparrow, the hero and heroine of both novels: Of these two books Hamlin Garland in The Boston Transcript says: