Heirs of Reuben. By Chris Healy. (Chatto and Windus. 6s.)—
When the reader discovers that the adventures told by the " heirs of Reuben" are all those of persons who are hopeless failures in life, he will not be surprised at being required to read the records of thieves, forgers, and other modern versions of " gentlemen of the road." The stories in the book are unredeemed by any acts of heroic tragedy, and their interest is merely painfully sordid. They are, however, ingeniously diversified, and supply a com- plete guide to the most recent methods of going to the bad. Considering the immense quantity of fiction now published, it is perhaps not extraordinary that authors are obliged to look for new worlds to describe, but only a rather perverted taste will seek its literary amusement in the records of the habitual petty criminal.
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