_The Nation_ further says he throws "floods of light on the _raison d'être_, origin, and methods of the dark figure that directs the destinies of our cities.... So strongly imagined and logically drawn that it satisfies the demand for the appearance of truth in art.... Telling scenes and incidents and descriptions of political organization, all of which are literal transcripts of life and fact--not dry irrelevancies thrown in by way of imparting information, but lively detail, needful for a clear understanding of Stirling's progress from the humble chairmanship of a primary to the dictator's throne.... In the use of dramatic possibilities, Mr. Ford is discreet and natural, and, without giving Stirling a heroic pose, manages to win for him very hearty sympathy and belief. Stirling's private and domestic story is well knit with that of his public adventures." _The Literary World_ says: "Of the mismanagement and villainy practiced in the wards, of bossism, obstructions to reform, wranglings and riots, we have had more or less in fiction, but nothing like this.... Pages which read like actual history.... A fine, tender love story.... A very unusual, but, let us believe, a possible, character.... Peter Stirling is a man's hero.... Very readable and enjoyable." _The Boston Advertiser_ says: "The book is sure to excite attention and win popularity." HENRY HOLT & CO., New York. BY JEROME K. JEROME. _AUTHOR'S EDITION._ JOHN INGERFIELD. Three Serious and Two Humorous Stories. Ill'd. 16mo, buckram, 75 cts. NOVEL NOTES. Stories Tragic and Comic. 140 Illustrations. 12mo, $1.25. THREE MEN IN A BOAT. Illustrations by H. Frederics. 12mo, cloth, $1.25; paper, 40 cents. IDLE THOUGHTS OF AN IDLE FELLOW. 12mo, cloth, $1.00; paper, 35 cents. STAGE-LAND. Curious Habits and Customs of its Inhabitants. Illustrated by J. Bernard Partridge. 12mo, cloth, $1.00; paper, 30 cents. TOLD AFTER SUPPER. With 96 Illustrations by K. M. Sheaping. Cloth, $1.00; paper, 30 cents. DIARY OF A PILGRIMAGE. [And Six Essays]. With upward of 100 Illustrations by G. G. Fraser. Cloth, $1.25; paper, 40 cents. ON THE STAGE--AND OFF. The Brief Career of a Would-be Actor. Cloth, $1.00; paper, 25 cents. HENRY HOLT & CO., Publishers, New York. Transcriber's Note Text in italics was surrounded by _underscores_, text in small capitals was changed to all capitals. Errors in punctuation have been silently corrected. Also the following corrections have been made, on page