6s.
Ever since the foundation of the publishing house of Alston Rivers, a persistent endeavour has been made to discover new authors, and to appreciate how successful has been the quest a mere glance at the firm’s publications will suffice. In introducing Miss Eva Lathbury to readers of fiction, the publisher can but hope that he is not too sanguine in anticipating that the author’s lively wit and whimsical outlook on the life of the leisured classes will meet with the reception which, in his opinion, it deserves. The author’s style should at least escape the charge of being derivative. The volume is rendered still more attractive by means of a coloured frontispiece by Mr. R. Pannett.
The Adventures of Count O’Connor. By Henry Stace.
6s.
A new novel writer of exceptional promise is always interesting, but when he makes his bow equipped with a story that is absolutely fresh, his chances of success are all the greater. In “The Adventures of Count O’Connor” at the Court of the Great Mogul, the author has found a theme exactly fitted to his delightful humour and vivacity. No historian has ever furnished a more convincing idea of the crafty Aurungzebe and his egregious court. The escapades of the hero, as the self-dubbed Irish “Count” may worthily be styled, are of the most extraordinary description, and are recounted so racily, that the reader can barely pause to question his veracity. The “Count’s” journey from Agra to Surat is packed with incident, and though gruesome events are chronicled, the writer’s innate lightheartedness completely divests them of horror.
The Lord of Latimer Street. By Jane Wardle. Author of “The Artistic Temperament.”
6s.
In the early months of last year Miss Wardle’s first book made a sensation both in the literary circles and with the general public, it being a matter of common wonder how such a young lady, as she was understood to be, could have such a grasp of the artistic, commercial, and suburban worlds. That Miss Wardle would be heard of again was prophesied by more than one critic, and there seems every prospect of “The Lord of Latimer Street” going far to substantiate her claim to recognition as a writer of marked originality. As may be conjectured from the title, Miss Wardle’s new book is concerned with characters of more lofty station than was the type depicted in “The Artistic Temperament.” The same whimsical humour, however, pervades the story, which, it is to be hoped, is sufficiently characteristic of the author to allay any suspicion on the part of critics as to a concealment of identity.
The Meddler. By H. de Vere Stacpoole and W. A. Bryce. With 8 illustrations and frontispiece.
6s.