“Only a small part of this story is imagination. Nearly every incident in the book was told me by “Tommy” himself, and while the setting of my simple tale is fiction, the tale itself is fact.
27 Feb 2019
“Mr Hocking’s novels have been compared to those of Thomas Hardy, Hall Caine, Baring-Gould, and Stanley Weyman; they are, one and all, stamped with striking and original individuality. Bold in conception, strenuously high and earnest in purpose, daring in thought, picturesque and lifelike in description, it is not to be wondered at that Mr. Hocking’s novels are eagerly awaited by a great and ever-increasing public.” – Ward, Lock & Co.
7 Feb 2019
More than twenty years ago, the substance of this book was published under another title, when it was highly recommended by many divines of our own and other churches. Judicious friends have advised me to prepare a new edition, and I have accordingly rewritten a large portion of it, added new characters, and transferred the whole scene of the story to this country. – John Gottlieb Morris
16 Aug 2018