SOURCE: "H. M. Tomlinson: The Eternal Youth," in Virginia Quarterly Review, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1928, pp. 72-82.

In the following essay, Mayer disputes the comparison of Tomlinson with Joseph Conrad, noting Tomlinson's unique abilities as a writer.

I

Because his book is labeled fiction, H. M. Tomlinson, with the publication of his first novel, Gallions Reach, is gaining fame. Before, Tomlinson, essayist and traveler, enjoyed but a limited distinction. Recently, however, and mainly through Gallions Reach, there has grown a Tomlinson vogue. He has been praised as "a second Conrad."

The truth is, Tomlinson does not derive from nor resemble Conrad. Gallions Reach—the book by which Tomlinson's name is linked with Conrad's and by which Tomlinson is becoming popularly known—has added no inches to Tomlinson's literary stature. As a novel, it is a doubtful success and then succeeds only where Tomlinson reached distinction many years ago in his...