'Though Sutherland packs an enormous amount of information, he deploys a drywit, and sometimes a broader humor; his judgments are crisp, and he has a keen eye for the telling anecdote or detail; it is remarkable how many obscure novelists come briefly to life under his hands ... This Companion is a remarkable achievement, an invaluable tool for understanding the Victorian literarymilieu, and a first-rate bedside book as well.' The Times Literary Supplement