"His style is a little jerky, but it is one of those rare styles in which we are led to expect some significance, if not wit, in every sentence." --G. K. CHESTERTON, in _London Daily News_.
"Mr. Huneker is, in the best sense, a critic; he listens to the music and gives you his impressions as rapidly and in as few words as possible; or he sketches the composers in fine, broad, sweeping strokes with a magnificent disregard for unimportant details. And as Mr. Huneker is, as I have said, a powerful personality, a man of quick brain and an energetic imagination, a man of moods and temperament--a string that vibrates and sings in response to music--we get in these essays of his a distinctly original and very valuable contribution to the world's tiny musical literature." --J. F. RUNCIMAN, in _London Saturday Review_.
_WITH FRONTISPIECE PORTRAIT OF RICHARD STRAUSS_
"In some respects Mr. Huneker must be reckoned the most brilliant of all living writers on matters musical." --_Academy, London_.
"He talks about Bergson as well as Matisse; he never can keep still about Wagner; he hauls over his French library of modern immortals, and he gives a touch to George Moore, to Arthur Davies, and to many another valiant worker in paint, music, and letters. The book is stimulating; brilliant even with an unexpected brilliancy." --_Chicago Tribune_.
"We like best such sober essays as those which analyze for us the technical contributions of Cézanne and Rodin. Here Mr. Huneker is a real interpreter, and here his long experience of men and ways in art counts for much. Charming, in the slighter vein, are such appreciations as the Monticelli and Chardin." --FRANK JEWETT MATHER, Jr., in _New York Nation_ and _Evening Post_.
_WITH PORTRAIT AND FACSIMILE REPRODUCTIONS_
"Closely and yet lightly written, full of facts, yet as amusing as a bit of discursive talk, penetrating, candid, and very shrewd." --ROYAL CORTISSOZ, in the _New York Tribune_.
The original punctuation and spelling were retained, with the exception of a few printer's mistakes. The text contains also inconsistently spelled words. The oe ligature is indicated by [oe].
The full list of changes to the text is as following:
"Henri de Regnier" changed to "Henri de Régnier"