Kickham’s first story. Contains in germ all the great qualities of _Knocknagow_. We feel all through that it is the work of a man of warm, tender, homely heart—a man born and bred one of the people about whom he writes. It is a simple and natural tale of love among the small farmer class. Sally Cavanagh’s tragedy is due to the combined evils of landlordism and emigration. Some of the saddest aspects of the latter are dwelt upon. The book is quite free from declamation and moralizing, the events being left to tell their own sad tale. Perhaps the noblest characters in the book are the Protestant Mr. and Mrs. Hazlitt. There is no trace of religious bigotry. There are touches of humour, too—for example, the love affairs of Mr. Mooney and the inimitable scene between Shawn Gow and his wife. ⸺ KNOCKNAGOW. Pp. 628. (_Duffy_). 3_s._ 6_d._ [1879]. Upwards of 14 eds. since. (N.Y.: _Benziger_). 1.25. One of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all Irish novels. Yet it is not so much a novel as a series of pictures of life in a Tipperary village. We are introduced to every one of its inhabitants, and learn to love them nearly all before the end. Everything in the book had been not only seen from without but _lived_ by the Author. It is full of exquisite little humorous and pathetic traits. The description of the details of peasant life is quite photographic in fidelity, yet not wearisome. There is the closest observation of human nature and of individual peculiarities. It is realism of the best kind. The incidents related and some of the discussions throw much light on the Land Question. The Author does not, however, lecture or rant on the subject. Occasionally there are tracts of middle-class conversation that would, I believe, be dull for most readers. ⸺ FOR THE OLD LAND. Pp. 384. (_Gill_). 2_s._ [1886]. New ed. 1914. (N.Y.: _Benziger_). 0.75. Main theme: the fortunes and the sufferings of an Irish family of small farmers under the old land system. The peasant’s love of home and the bitter sadness of emigration are brought out in the unfolding of the tale. All through there runs a love-tale told with the Author’s usual restraint, simplicity, and delicate analysis of motive. There is a humorous element, too, amusing bailiffs and policemen furnishing much of it. Constable Sproule driving home the pigs is capitally done. Rody Flynn is a grand old character, evidently sketched from life. ⸺ THE PIG-DRIVING PEELERS. Appears in one of the “Knickerbocker Nuggets,” entitled “Representative Irish Tales.” Compiled, with Introd. and notes by W. B. Yeats. (N.Y.: _Putnam_). Two Vols. _n.d._