Henry James to Mrs Henry James Sr., 16 March 1881: "I have of course read Grant Allen in the March Atlantic and think it seems prettily enough argued."
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Henry James Print: Serial / periodical
'he entered a competition held by Tit-Bits. The prize money was twenty guineas, and it was offered for a "humorous condensation" of a sensational serial which the paper had been running. The serial was called What's bred in the bone [title in italics], and it was by Grant Allen, a scientist-turned novelist like Wells...'
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Arnold Bennett Print: Serial / periodical
Considerable marginalia in pencil in English, especially on the following pages: 30, 186, 216, 220-224.
Century: 1850-1899 / 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Vernon Lee Print: Book
'I do not like Grant Allen's book about your father. It is prancing and wants simplicity.'
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Emma Darwin Print: Book
'Grant Allen’s”[The] Woman Who Did”, c’est un livre mort. Gr.[ant]Allen is a man of inferior
intelligence and his work is not art in any sense. “[The] Woman Who Did” had a kind of success,
of curiosity mostly—and that only among the philistines –the sort of people who read Marie
Corelli and Hall Caine. Neither of these writers belongs to literature. All three are very popular
with the public—and they are also puffed in the press.[...] Grant Allen is considered a man of
letters among scholars and a scholar among men of letters. He writes popular scientific manuals
equally well. En somme—un imbecile. Marie Corelli is not noticed critically by the serious
reviews. She is simply ignored. Her books sell largely; Hall Caine is a kind of male Marie Corelli.
[...] Among the writers who deserve attention the first is Rudyard Kipling (his last book, ”The
Day’s Work”,a novel). J.M. Barrie—a Scotsman. His last book “Sentimental Tommy” (last year).
[...] George Moore has published the novel “Evelyn Innes”—un succès d’estime. He is supposed
to belong to to the naturalistic school and Zola is his prophet. Tout ça, c’est très vieux jeu. A
certain Mr. T Watts-Dunton published the novel “Aylwin”, a curiosity success, as this Watts-
Dunton (who is also a barrister) is apparently a friend of different celebrities in the world of Fine
Arts (especially in the pre-Raphaelite School). He has crammed them all into his book. H.G.
Wells published this year “The War of the Worlds” and “The Invisible Man”. He is a very original
writer, romancier du fantastique, with a very individualist judgement in all things and an
astonishing imagination.’
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Joseph Conrad Print: Book
