Crown 8vo. cloth extra, 68. THE NEW REPUBLIC: OR, CULTURE, FAITH, AND PHILOSOPHY IN AN OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 'An attractive philosophical fragment, set in an idyllic frame. Considerable tact and art have been shown in the composition of the story. . . . Not often does it fall to any one's lot to meet in real life such brilliant talkers, and it is therefore a treat to come upon them in a book, especially as their conversation is so simple and naturally given as to cheat one into a belief that they are really enjoying that almost lost fine art. . . . Nothing, as one reads, can seem more natural than the style and method of the book. It never becomes tedious, and deep as are many of the subjects treated of, they are yet topics we are all accustomed to hear debated. . . Without making too long and large quotations, it is difficult to give an idea of the spirit and grace with which The New Republic is written.'-TIMES. The one fault of this very clever jeu d'esprit is, that the satire is too closely dependent on mere parody, which imparts sometimes too direct a personal reference. This once said, there is nothing but to enjoy the refined fun, and sometimes earnest pleasantry, with which the book abounds. The writer is not only familiar with society and its ways, he not only possesses large knowledge, but he has the faculty of a sparkling epigrammatic style, and the careful reader will find in the midst of his fun and satire some very beautiful thoughts, gathered into felicitous and striking language.' BRITISH QUARTERLY REVIEW. 'There is a good deal of shrewd observation in The New Republic; the style is polished, and its general air of cultivation and refinement will help to atone for its almost complete lack of incident and passion.'-DAILY NEWS. The great charm of the book lies in the clever and artistic way the dialogue is managed, and the diverse and various expedients by which, whilst the tone of thought on every page is kept at a high pitch, it never loses its realistic aspect. . . . It is giving high praise to a work of this sort to say that it absolutely needs to be taken as a whole, and that disjointed extracts here and there would entirely fail to convey any idea of the artistic unity, the careful and conscientious sequence of what is evidently the brilliant outcome of much patient thought and study. . . . Enough has now been said to recommend these volumes to any reader who desires something above the usual novel, something which will open up lanes of thought 2 THE NEW REPUBLIC. in his own mind, and insensibly introduce a higher standard into his daily life. Here is novelty indeed, as well as originality, and to anyone who can appreciate or understand The New Republic it cannot fail to be a rare treat.'-OBSERVER. 'A book to read, to rejoice in, and to remember. . . . It is only very dull or very bigoted persons who will misunderstand its meaning, or who will fail to see that, if it furnishes few weapons to the faithful, it blunts and breaks a goodly array of the swords and spears of the unbelievers.'-STANDARD. ... 6 This is a very ambitious book. It is a bold thing for a young man to challenge comparison with Plato. . . . The book will be read, we should think, with great zest at the Universities, where alone, perhaps, some of the more secret touches of its satire will be fully appreciated. The interlocutors in the book not only talk, but are admirably adapted to be the cause of talk in others.'-EXAMINER. A very original and suggestive work. If we could imagine Mr. Anthony Trollope and Sir Arthur Helps combined, with a slight soupçon of Mr. Matthew Arnold, we might get pretty near to the leading characteristics of the book. It is clearly written by a man who knows society and can discriminate and deal readily with its typical personages, and who has the unique faculty of presenting actual living men under thin disguises, with the slightest touch of satire extravaganza, which does not in the least detract from the general truth of the picture, and yet carries with it almost the interest of fiction. It is from first to last ingenious, humorous, and suggestive.'-NONCONFORMIST. 'So clever a book, despite its faults, that it deserves criticism of the admonitory rather than the objurgatory kind. . . . Here is a man who can write epigrams, and we hope that he will write more.'-ATHENÆUM. ... 'A decidedly clever book. There is plenty of epigram in its literary style. There is a very clever imitation of Mr. Matthew Arnold's (Mr. Luke) poetry; but the best parody in the book is that of a sermon of Mr. Jowett, and this is really so good that it might well be a reminiscence of a discourse actually delivered in Balliol Chapel.'-THE WORLD. 'The introduction of living personages under transparent disguises, to point the moral and adorn the tale of The New Republic, cannot be justified, and should not be encouraged. This is, nevertheless, a naughty world, and it is more than probable that the obnoxious story will be the first item to which readers in general will refer. The parodies of some of our most conspicuous theological, scientific, and philosophical guides are unquestionably happy.'ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS. CHATTO & WINDUS, Piccadilly, W. |