Newport daily independent., 1903-01-19
FAvoRITE NOVELS.
Fiction Which Has the Stamp of App
 proval of Famous Novelists.

pus and candid enough to declare .hat he finds almost as much pleasure in reading a good novel as in writing one; and his tastes lie chiefly in the direction of fiction of past genera tions. If you ask me to name the, novel which in my opinion is without a rival, he says, T should without hesitation say The Cloister and the Hearth, a story which, long as it is, has genius on every page of it. The second place I should award to Scott, his Iyanhoe' for choice; and among recent works of fiction Barrie's books have given me most pleasure"
 Of the last generation of story writ CTS, says London Tit-Bits, there was perhaps no better critic than James Payn, who divided his allegiance equally between Scott, Dickens and Thackeray. "To my mind Ivan hoe, he once said, lis the greatest novel in our language and one that will live the longest; but it has for midable rival in Vanity Fair and perhaps in David Copperfeld' and Martin Chuzzlewit. :"
 The late Sir Walter Besant always found fresh charm in "Lorna Doone," which he considered quite the best novel of his time. He had also a gerat admiration for Hardy's ''Te8s of theD'Urberyilles" and Mere dith's "Richard Feyerel;" indeed, with the single exception of "Lorna Doone," Sir Walter, like so many ex- cellent judges, held that Meredith Is head and shoulders greater than any recent writer of fiction.
 MT. Meredith, however, while ad- miring Sir Walter Besant's books, awards the palm among his rivals to Thomas Hardy, many of whose books, such as "Far from the Madding Crowd" and 'Under the Greenwood Tree" he finds unfailingly delight ful. Of the giants who are gone he holds Scott, Thackeray and Dickens unapproachable.
 Mir G. A. Henty, the author of so many charming stories for old and young, admits that amongallthe books of modern writers that have given him pleasure he is most indebted tc "Lorna Doone." MT. Rider Haggard among living writers admires none more than MT. Stanley Weyman whose "Gentleman of France" he con siders masterpiece of fiction. He i' also a great admirer of Conan Doyle and considers that that clever anC popular story teller has never writ ten anything to equal "The Whit Company" a verdict which Sir Ar thur himself indorses.
 Miss Marie Corelli confesses a lik ing for Marion Crawford's Italian stories. She places the author o "Doctor Claudius" at the head o present-day story tellers; but her req heroes in fiction are George Eliot ant Charlotte Bronte, Scott and Dickens Edna Lyall has a similar affection for Dickens, whose "David Copper field" she knows from cover to cover Scott's novels she loves, especiall "Rob Roy;;" and among other book which hold high place in her regar' are "Silas Marner," "Esmond," ant Mrs. Gaskell's "Cranford."
 MT. Christie Murray says he ha spent his happiest reading hour with Charles Reade's "Cloister an, the Hearth;" but in very close rivalr he places "David Copperfeld' am
 Mvanhoe," while he pleads guilty t an affection for "Tom Jones" Mi George Gissing's favorite authors ar Charlotte Bronte, Meredith an, Thomas Hardy, in the order named and of all their works he loves bes "Villette," Richard Feverel," an' "The Return of the Native;;" an the late MT. R. L. Stevenson, who's taste in fiction was as indisputable a his gift of writing it, placed Scott a 1 the head of his favorite noyeists, wit
 "Guy Mannering," "Red Gauntlet, and ''Rob Roy" as his best stories, an of later works of fiction he had tn
 highest opinion of Thackeray's ''E: mon!' and George Meredith's "Ricf ard Feyerel."