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authors suitable for juvenile or untrained tastes； and authors whose appeal
is specially to those of maturer thought and experience。 Differing as
much in method and style as in choice of period and character type；
Thackeray's 〃Vanity Fair〃 and George Eliot's 〃Romola〃 have at least this
in monthey require a very high degree of intelligence for their due
appreciation。 Who； among those of us with any knowledge of such
works； would dream of remending them to a youthful reader fresh
from the perusal of Miss Yonge's 〃Little Duke；〃 or Captain Marryatt's
〃Children of the New Forest〃？
Naturally in a list of this kind there is bound to be very great inequality；
certain periods have been wholly ignored by writers of the first rank； while
in others we have something like an embarras de richesse。 Consequently；
I have been pelled； here and there； to insert authors of only mediocre
merit。 In other cases； again； I have not hesitated to omit works by writers
of acknowledged position when these have seemed below the author's
usual standard； and where no gap had to be filled。 I would instance the
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James II。… William III。 period。 Here Stanley Weyman and 〃Edna Lyall〃
might have been represented； but； there being no dearth of good novels
dealing with both the above reigns； I did not deem it advisable to call in
these popular writers at the point which has been very generally
considered their lowest。 I mention this to show that omissions do not
necessarily mean ignorance； though； in covering such an immense ground；
I cannot doubt that romances worthy of a place in my list have been
overlooked。
I think many will be surprised to find how large a proportion of our
best writers （English and American） have entered the domain of Historical
or Semi…Historical Romance。 Scott； Thackeray； Dickens； George Eliot；
Charlotte Bronte； George Meredith； R。 L。 Stevenson； Hawthorne； Peacock；
Charles Kingsley； Henry Kingsley； Charles Reade； Anthony Trollope； Mrs。
Gaskell； Walter Besant； Lytton； Disraeli； J。 H。 Newman； J。 A。 Froude； and
Walter Paterthese are a few of the names which appear in the following
pages； while Tolstoy； Dumas； Balzac； George Sand； Victor Hugo； De
Vigny； Prosper Merimee； Flaubert； Theophile Gautier； Freytag； Scheffel；
Hauff； Auerbach； Manzoni； Perez Galdos； Merejkowski； Topelius；
Sienkiewicz； and Jokai are； perhaps； the chief amongst those representing
Literatures other than our own。
〃The Last Days of Pompeii；〃 〃The Gladiators；〃 〃Hypatia；〃 〃Harold；〃
〃Ivanhoe；〃 〃The Talisman；〃 〃Maid Marian；〃 〃The Last of the Barons；〃
〃Quentin Durward；〃 〃Romola；〃 〃The Cloister and the Hearth；〃 〃The
Palace of the King；〃 〃Westward Ho！〃； 〃Kenilworth；〃 〃The Chaplet of
Pearls；〃 〃A Gentleman of France；〃 〃John Inglesant；〃 〃The Three
Musketeers；〃 〃Twenty Years After；〃 〃Woodstock；〃 〃Peveril of the Peak；〃
〃Old Mortality；〃 〃 The Betrothed Lovers〃 （〃I Promessi Sposi〃）； 〃Lorna
Doone；〃 〃The Refugees；〃 〃In the Golden Days；〃 〃The Courtship of Morice
Buckler；〃 〃Dorothy Forster；〃 〃The Men of the Moss Hags；〃 〃Esmond；〃
〃The Virginians；〃 〃Heart of Midlothian；〃 〃Waverley；〃 〃The Master of
Ballantrae；〃 〃Kidnapped；〃 〃Catriona；〃 〃The Chaplain of the Fleet；〃 〃The
Seats of the Mighty；〃 〃Barnaby Rudge；〃 〃A Tale of Two Cities；〃 〃War and
Peace〃what visions do these mere titles arouse within many of us！ And；
though most of the books given in my list cannot be described in the same
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A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales
glowing terms as the masterpieces just named； yet many 〃nests of pleasant
thoughts〃 may be formed through their panionship。
Hitherto allusion has been mainly in the direction of modern authors；
and I would now say a word or two in regard to those of an earlier period
who are also represented。 Defoe； Fielding； Richardson； Goldsmith；
Smollett； Frances Burney； Samuel Lover； John Galt； Maria Edgeworth；
Susan Ferrier； William Godwin； Mary Shelley； Fennimore Cooper； J。 G。
Lockhart； Leigh Hunt； Thos。 Moore； Harriet Martineau； J。 L。 Motley；
Horace Smith； Charles Lever； Meadows Taylor； and Wm。 Carleton；these
（in greater or less degree） notable names were bound to have a place； and；
ing to less distinguished writers； I may mention the brothers Banim；
Gerald Griffin； Mrs。 S。 C。 Hall； Lady Morgan； the sisters Porter； W。 G。
Simms； George Croly； Albert Smith； G。 R。 Gleig； W。 H。 Maxwell； Sir
Arthur Helps； Eliot Warburton； Lewis Wingfield； Thomas Miller； C。
Macfarlane； Grace Aguilar； Anne Manning； and Emma Robinson （author
of 〃Whitefriars〃）。 To G。 P。 R。 James； Harrison Ainsworth； and James
Grant I have previously alluded。 It has been my endeavour to choose the
best examples of all the above…named novelistsa task rendered specially
difficult in some cases by the fact of immense literary output。 Doubtless
not a few of the works so chosen are open to criticism； but they will at
least serve to illustrate certain stages in the growth