Apology might well be made here for the defects of the work. They will, I fear, be but too evident. But it should be borne in mind that, with the exception of Mr. Baker’s works, to which I cannot sufficiently acknowledge my indebtedness, I have had no guide upon the way, since no writer, so far as I am aware, has hitherto dealt in this way with Irish fiction as a whole. It may be asked, for whom especially this book is meant? In the first place, I hope it may be useful to the general reader who wishes to study Ireland. Next, it may help in the important and not easy task of selection those who have to buy books for any purpose, such as the giving of presents, the conferring of prizes in school or out of it, the stocking of shops and libraries—in other words, booksellers, library committees, heads of schools and colleges, librarians, pastors, and many others. Again, it may be of some service to lecturers and to popular entertainers. I have some hopes, too, that coming writers of Irish fiction, from seeing what has been done and what has not yet been done, may get from it some suggestions for future work. It may even help in a small way towards the realization of a great work not yet attempted, the writing of a history of Anglo-Irish literature. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (_Reader’s Guide, etc._) My best thanks are due, in the first place, to the authorities of Clongowes Wood College, without whose constant aid and encouragement my task would have been impossible. Next, I wish to thank those publishers who courteously sent me copies of a number of their books, viz., the Irish publishers, Messrs. Gill; Duffy; Sealy, Bryers and Walker; Maunsel; and Blackie: and the London publishers, Messrs. Macmillan; Nelson; Methuen; Dent; Chatto and Windus; Burns and Oates; Sands; Blackwood; Nutt; Elliot Stock; and Smith, Elder. I should like to give greater prominence to the publications of these firms. The plan of this book prevents me from doing so but I may say that this little work, which will, I hope, help to make known their books, could not have appeared but for their generosity.