Extracts from Two Hundred Notices of the English, Irish, Scotch,
American, Australian, Erench, Finnish, German, and Swedish Press.
The Times. (One column.)— “ The reader will . . . find in Mr.
Lansdell’ s volumes all that can interest him about Siberia.“
The Athenæum. {Five columns.)— “ With the exception of Mr.
Mackenzie W a lla ce ’ s * Russia,’ the best book on a Russian subject .
which has appeared of late years is Mr. Lansdell’ s ‘ Through Siberia.
Fraser’s Magazine. {Thirteen pages.)— “ His testimony . . . is
simply the best that exists.” O. K. . . . (a Russian writer.)
The Guardian. {Two columns.)— “ It touches upon political and
social questions of great interest, and offers information upon the
internal administration of the Russian empire, which is not readily
obtained elsewhere.”
Harper’s Monthly Magazine. {One column.)— “ Since the time
of Howard, no one has given us so full and fair an account of Russian
prisons as is now presented to us by Mr. Lansdell.”
Church Missionary Intelligencer. {Four ¿ages.)— “ It is altogether
different from even the higher class of books of travel. It teems
with information of every possible kind. ’ ’
The Academy. {Four columns.)— “ We are of opinion that
‘ Through Siberia ’ is much more entertaining, and certainly more
readable, than many novels.”
The Baptist. {Two columns.)— “ A man who undertakes to set
matters in a true light before the eyes of the world deserves the gratitude
of all parties. This Mr. Lansdell has done.’ ’
The Church Times. {Two columns.)— “ Englishmen have every
reason to be proud of this work ; for it . . . can only result in making
the name of our country more honoured and respected than any mere
victory of arms would do.”
The Field.— “ The utmost commendation must be given to the
reverend author, not only for his personal work, but for the good taste
that has impelled him to describe his religious labours in language
understanded of the la ity.”
Revue des deux Mondes. {Twelve pages.)— “ Qu’ on n’aille pas
s ’ imaginer après cela que M. Lansdell soit un fanatique . . .1 1 estime
qu’une sage philosophie et une piété sincère ne sont irréconciliables ni
avec la belle humeur ni avec ces honnêtes petits plaisirs qui assaisonnent
la vie.”
Helsingfors Dagblad {Finland)— " ‘ Through Siberia’ has won
for itself recognition here, by reason of its veracity and conscientiousness,
as well as for its shedding light upon various Siberian matters.” —
Letter from St. Petersburg.
The Globe.' {One column.)— “ The work as a whole deserves no
slight measure of praise.”
Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society.— “ Contains
much incidental detail likely to be of practical utility to other travellers.”
The Rock. {One column.)— “ The volumes are got up with great
care, and remarkably well illustrated. The books will amply repay
perusal.”
Smalandsposten {Sweden).— “ The principal merits of the Author
are great power of observation, and an objective but lively style.”
. . . “ An interesting book on a piquant subject.”
The Saturday Review. {Three columns).— “ W e take leave of
our author in the hope that, on the one hand, neither his philanthropy
nor his love of travelling is exhausted ; and that, on the other hand, his
first venture in the world of letters may be so favourable as to tempt him
to a second . . . ”
The United Service Gazette. {Three columns.)— “ There is
plenty of real novelty in Siberia without troubling the novelist any
more. Certainly no more entertaining book of the kind, combined with
usefulness, has been issued from the press for a long time. . . . Everywhere
there is something new to tell us, and we wonder why in the
world it is that Siberia has been left out in the cold so long.”
The Record. {One column!)— “ The interest of ‘ Through Siberia’
is varied, and the revelations of the book will attract various minds.
The Christian will find herein much which will move his pity for souls ;
the ecclesiastic will note with attention many striking passages which
will assist his studies in comparative religion, and supply links between
different ages and differing Churches; the philanthropist will engage
himself with existing human wrongs, and seek for suggestions as to
methods for redressing and removing them; the statesman may find
light, lurid, indeed, and terrible, cast on pressing questions of State
policy and relation of classes ; while the man of science will not search
these pages in vain for facts in ethnology, geography, geology, climatology)
sociology, and philology, which will enrich his stores and supply
missing links in his world of study.”
The Pall Mall Gazette. {Two columns.)— “ In some ways Mr.
Lansdell has a better right to speak about Siberia than any previous
western traveller. He went right through the country, from Tiumen
on the Ural boundary, to Nikolaefsk on the Pacific coast. . . . His
views upon the Russian penal system are undoubtedly founded upon
honest personal conviction. . . . Apart even from its main subject, it
teems with useful information about the country and the people, some
tribes of which Mr. Lansdell has perhaps been the first so fully to
describe.”
The Fireside. {Three pages.)— “ A s a work of rare interest, we
commend to our readers Mr. Lansdell’ s charming traveller’s story, a
book of which three-fourths of the first edition were sold before it had
fairly reached the publishers’ counter. . . . That he has succeeded in
gathering a mass of reliable information is evident ; for a Russian
Inspector of Prisons writes respecting the proof-sheets of the w o rk :
‘ What you say is so perfectly correct, that your book may be taken as
a standard even by Russian authorities.’ ”
.The Illustrated London News.— “ W e can promise the readers
of Mr. Lansdell’ s book a great deal of entertainment, combined with
instruction, in the survey of such an immense field of topography
natural history, and ethnology, and in the plentiful anecdotes of wayside
experience and casual observation. . . . His statements are characterised
by an imposing air of precision, and are fortified by official
statistics, which claim due attention from those candidly disposed to
investigate the subject.”