“After reading a couple of pages I settled myself in my chair for a happy evening, and thenceforward the fascination of the book held me like a kind of enchantment. I despair, though, of being able to convey any idea of it in a few lines of criticism.... As for the style, I will only add that it gave me the same blissful feeling of security that one has in listening to a great musician.... In the meantime, having recorded my delight in it, I shall put ‘Carnival’ upon the small and by no means crowded shelf that I reserve for ‘keeps.’” _OUTLOOK_ : “In these days of muddled literary evaluations, it is a small thing to say of a novel that it is a great novel; but this we should say without hesitation of ‘Carnival,’ that not only is it marked out to be the leading success of its own season, but to be read afterwards as none but the best books are read.” _OBSERVER_ : “The heroic scale of Mr. Compton Mackenzie’s conception and achievement sets a standard for him which one only applies to the ‘great’ among novelists.” _ENGLISH REVIEW_ : “An exquisite sense of beauty with a hunger for beautiful words to express it.” _ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS_ : “The spirit of youth and the spirit of London.” _NEW YORK TIMES_ : “We hail Mr. Mackenzie as a man alive—who raises all things to a spiritual plane.” _MR. C. K. SHORTER in the SPHERE_ : “‘Carnival’ carried me from cover to cover on wings.” _NEW AGE_ : “We are more than sick of it.” MARTIN SECKER, NUMBER FIVE JOHN STREET, ADELPHI SINISTER STREET _BY THE SAME AUTHOR_ CARNIVAL THE PASSIONATE ELOPEMENT KENSINGTON RHYMES For some press opinions, see preceding pages SINISTER STREET: VOLUME II METROPOLITAN NIGHTS These volumes are in preparation S I N I S T E R S T R E E T _By COMPTON MACKENZIE_ L O N D O N : M A R T I N S E C K E R NUMBER FIVE JOHN STREET ADELPHI MCMXIII TO THE REVEREND E. D. STONE _My dear Mr. Stone,_ _Since you have on several occasions deprecated the length of my books, I feel that your name upon the dedicatory page of this my longest book deserves explanation, if not apology._