| + + + | Atlan. 96: 276. Ag. ‘05. 690w. | |
| Critic. 47: 188. Ag. ‘05. 90w. |
“Mr. Russell’s chief merit, then, consists ... in the shrewd and kindly criticism which he bestows upon Sydney Smith’s energy, goodness, wit and occasional foibles.”
| + | Dial. 38: 420. Je. 16, ‘05. 410w. | |
| + | Ind. 58: 1128. My. 18, ‘05. 420w. |
“If there is any fault to be found with Mr. Russell’s book, it is that he does not dwell long enough on the purely social side of Sidney Smith. Mr. Russell’s brief but interesting biography is well indexed, and provides such copious extracts from Sydney Smith’s writings on all possible subjects that it is not a bad substitute for his ‘Works,’ which are not easily accessible to the general reader.”
| + + | Nation. 80: 297. Ap. 13, ‘05. 1200w. |
“If Mr. Morley made a mistake in selecting his subject he has shown his editorial wisdom in his choice of author. No one is better suited to treat of the great Whig wit than such a representative of the great Whig family, the Russells. Having something of a conscience, Mr. Russell does not say much about Smith’s literary qualities and capacities.” Joseph Jacobs.
| + + | N. Y. Times. 10: 145. Mr. 11, ‘05. 1730w. |
“A very readable life of the great English wit by an interesting biographer. Suffers nothing by brevity; for Mr. Russell has succeeded in conveying the personality of Sydney Smith and in making his pages live in the light of that personality.”
| + + | Outlook. 79: 704. Mr. 18, ‘05. 200w. |
“A very readable monograph.”