A King of Tyre: A Tale of the Times of Ezra and Nehemiah

Ludlow, James M. (James Meeker), 1841-1932Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8
Word count
388K words
Chapters
39

Tags

English Originals Historical Fiction Historical ReappraisalPower GamePatriotismFaith NarrativeTurbulent EraAncient Middle EastAncient KingsAncient City-StateBiblical EraExotic Culture

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A King of Tyre: A Tale of the Times of Ezra and Nehemiah by James M. LudlowAuthor: Ludlow, James M. (James Meeker), 1841-1932,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 26, 2013

Editor's review

This historical novel centers its narrative on the King of Tyre and carries the reader back to the era when Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem. The author, Ludlow, was a nineteenth-century American writer skilled at intertwining biblical historical settings with human destinies; the book's value lies not in retelling biblical events but in presenting imperial change, religious conflict, and personal choices from the perspective of a foreign king. For readers familiar with the Old Testament narrative, it offers a rare "Gentile's-eye view"; for general readers, it is a historical story with elements of adventure and political maneuvering. The style is somewhat classical, with detailed description, suited to slow reading in a quiet setting and also useful as supporting reading for understanding the Eastern Mediterranean world under Persian rule. Note that the book carries the religious imagination and narrative habits of the author's era, and readers may compare it with historical sources.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read a summary of Ezra and Nehemiah first, then enter the novel; the character relationships will be clearer.
  2. Prepare a map of the Eastern Mediterranean under the Persian Empire and mark locations as the plot progresses.
  3. Slow down at classical long sentences, focusing on the King of Tyre's psychology and changes in his decisions.
  4. After finishing, compare with relevant historical sources to distinguish fictional imagination from recorded fact.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39

FAQ

What is the relationship between this book and the biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah? The novel is set in the era of Ezra and Nehemiah and unfolds its story through the perspective of the King of Tyre; it is historical fiction, not a biblical commentary. It does not retell the scriptures verse by verse but uses fictional characters and plot to present the political, religious, and commercial environment of the time, making it suitable as background reading.
Can I understand it without background knowledge of the Bible? You can follow the main plot, but there are many personal names, place names, and religious conflicts, which can be confusing without background. It is advisable to first learn the basic outline of Jerusalem's rebuilding under Persian rule; reading will then be much smoother.
How difficult is the original English? This is a nineteenth-century English work with long sentences and somewhat classical vocabulary, more difficult than modern popular fiction. It can be attempted by readers with college-level English reading ability; use reference tools for rare words rather than looking up every one.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Ludlow, James M. (James Meeker), 1841-1932 Author

James M. Ludlow (1841–1932) was an American author known chiefly for his historical novels. Public information about his life is limited, and biographical details are difficult to verify. The four works held in the collection nonetheless show that he habitually set his narratives within specific historical and religious settings. The Captain of the Janizaries draws on the Ottoman Janissaries, while A King of Tyre and Deborah are set in the times of Ezra and Nehemiah and of Judas Maccabaeus respectively; The Baritone's Parish turns instead to church life. These works typically use fictional characters to connect historical events with questions of faith, emphasizing plot and moral concern, and they appeal to readers interested in biblical times and Near Eastern history. His novels had some influence among readers of popular historical fiction in his day, though scholarly material on him is now scarce and his standing remains to be more fully assessed.