_653,098 copies of English editions sold to date._
This is the story of a young Anglican clergyman, John Store, who
tries to live in the twentieth century in strict imitation of the
life of Christ (believing that in the literal interpretation of His
teaching lies the only salvation of the world) and is broken to
pieces, both from within and from without, by his love of a woman and
by the hard facts of modern existence. The scene is London, and the
period the present age. The heroine, Glory Quayle, belongs to the
number of the beloved women in fiction. On its first publication in
1897, the "CHRISTIAN" provoked world-wide discussion, in which
Tolstoy took part. It has been translated into nearly all European
languages. Nearly 700,000 copies have been sold in English editions
only. The story which has been repeatedly dramatised is played in
nearly all countries.
The _Newcastle Chronicle_ says: "This novel is a noble inspiration
carried to noble issues, an honour to Hall Caine and to English
fiction."