30 JANUARY 1897, Page 13

The Oracle of Baal. By John Provand Webster. (Hutchinson and

Co.)—This is a story of the marvellous kind, of the " She " type of tale, to describe by a well-known example. There are those to whom this literature appeals very strongly, and, indeed, it has merits, and does not require any great qualifications for its production. It is enough to have a faculty of invention and to write plain English. These gifts Mr. Webster appears to possess.