The Best Novels.

Evening Star, Issue 726, 2 July 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Best Novels.

The following are the results of the ‘ Pall Mall Gazette’s'’ latest competition, which was one of the most popular of the series. It did not expressly limit the competition to English novels, but its readers have been patriotic, and hardly a single foreign book appears in the lists. The result may be taken, therefore, as embodying the current opinion of the day on English novels and novelists:— The best historical novel.—Scott; ‘lvanhoe.’ The best humorous novel.—Dickens: 1 Pickwick. 1 ' The most imaginative romance.—Rider Haggard: • She.’ The best “ novel with a purpose,"—Charles Reade; 1 Never too Late to Mend.’ The test tale of seafaring life.— Marryat: ‘Midshipman Easy.’ The best tale of country life.—George Eliot: ‘ Adam B:de.’ The best sensational novel. Wilkie Collins: ‘ Woman in White.’ The best tale for boys. Defoe: ‘ Robinson 1 C'usoe.’ The best Irish novel.—Lever: ‘Charles O’Malley.’ The best Srjtcb novel.—Scott: • The Heart of Mid-loihi-n.’ The best novel of all.—Thackaiay: • Vanity Fair.’ The following lists give all the novels (in order of their popularity) in each division which obtained a large number of votes : — TUB BUST HISTORICAL NOVELS. Soott.—‘ Ivanhoe.’ Scott.— 1 Kenilworth.’ EuUver Lytton.—‘The Last of the Barons. 1 Ainsworth —‘ The Tower of London.’ Thackeray.— 1 Eimond.’ f-'cott.— 1 Waverley.’ Bulsver Lytton. — 1 The Last Days ot -Pompeii.’ Bulwer Lytton.— 1 Harold.* TUB BUST HUMOROUS KOVELS, ‘Pickwick’ was first here and the rest nowhere—the only other novel whoso supporters run into double figures being Lover’s 1 Handy Andy.’ THE MOST IMAGINATIVE ROMANCES. Mr Rider Haggard’s popularity htre Is very marked, as will be suffieimtly seen from tho following table. ‘She,’ we should add, obtains four times as many votes ao any other candidate : Rider Haggard.— 1 She.’ Dumas.— 1 Monte Crifito.’ Rider Haggard.— 1 King Mines.’ Cervantes — 1 Don QuixoW Bulwer Lytton — 1 Zmoni.’ Jules Verno.—'‘Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.’ Blackniore.— 1 Lorna Doonc, Bulwer Lytton.— 1 - Tho Coming Race, Mrs Shelley,— 1 Frankenstein.’ Swift.— 1 Gulliver’s Travels.' TUB REST NOVELS WITH A PURPOSE, Here it was a very close race, 1 Never Too Late to Mend ’ winning by four votes only. 11 All Sorts and Conditions cf Men' is a good third, and has twice as many votes as any of the remaining novels. Charles Reade. — 1 Never too Late to Mend.’ Mrs Beecher Stowe.— 1 Unnle Tom’s Cabin.' Besant.— 1 All Sorts and Conditions of Men.’ Dickens.— 1 Nicholas Nioklcby.’ Charles Reade.— 1 Hard Cash.’ Mrs H. Wood.— 1 Danesbury House.’ Dickens.—‘Bleak House.’ Kingsley — 1 Alton Locke.’ THE BEST STORIES OP THB SPA. Captain Marryat is here his own, and bis only, rival. •Peter Simple’receives not quite half as many votes as 1 Midshipman Easy,’ THE BEST COUNTRY TALES. 1 Adam Bede ’ wins easily, but ail the other novels enumerated below receive largo and not very unequal numbers of votes George Eliot.—‘ Adam Bede.’ Goldsmith.—‘The Vicar of Wakefield,’ Blackmore.— 1 Lorna Doone. 1 George Eliot. — 1 The Mill on the Flos o ,’ Hardy.— 1 Par from the Madding Crowd.' George Eliot.— 1 Middlemarch. 1 TUB BEST SENSATIONAL NOVELS. Tho voting hero is pretty equally divided between the following Wilkie Collins.— 1 The Woman in White.’ Hugh Conway.—‘Called Back.’ M's Wood.—’ 1 East Lynne.' Miss Braddon. Lady Audley’s Secret.’ Dumas, — 1 Monte Cristo.’ Charlotte Bronte.— 1 Jane Eyre.’ THE BUST BOVS’ BOOKS. 1 Tom Brown’s School Days’ gets rather more then half as many vo'es as ‘Robinson Crusoe,’ and 1 Treasure Island ’ gets s:veral. All other stories are far behind. THE BBST IRISH NOVELS. Here again only three hooks are 11 in it,” the order being 1 Charles O’Malley ’ (very easily first), 1 Handy Andy,’ and 1 Harry Lorrequer ’ (close together). TUB BE T SCOTCH NOVELS The comparative popularity of Scott’s novels here (none others of course count) is interesting. The order of the first eight is—- • The Heart of Midlothian ’ 1 The Antiquary ’ I ‘Wavorloy’ 1 Old Mortality,’ j •Rob Roy’ ‘lvanhoo’ 1 Guy Manncring 1 The Bride of Lammermoor.’ THE BEST NOVELS OF ALL. There was no doubt whatever about the best and second best, but after that the Votin'g tailed off at fairly regular intervale as follows : Thackeray.— 1 Vanity Fair * Dickons. - 1 David Copperfleld.’ George Eliot. — 1 Adam Bede.’ Saott.— 1 Ivanhoe ’ Thackeray.—’ Esmond,’ Fielding.—’Tom Jones.’ Goldsmith —‘The Vi ear of Wakefield.’ Blackmote,—‘Lorna Doone.’.