A Modern Wizard

Rodrigues OttolenguiProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 601K words
Chapters: 61

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 Modern Wizard by Rodrigues OttolenguiAuthor: Ottolengui, Rodrigues, 1861?-1937,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 27, 2010

Editor's review

This book is a novel by Rodrigues Ottolengui, classified as American literature, now reissued in free digital form by Project Gutenberg. Ottolengui was active from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and his works often carry detective and mysterious elements; the title's "modern wizard" hints at the ambiguous territory between science, charlatanry, and the supernatural, letting readers sense that era's dual interest in reason and mystery. As a public-domain e-book, its value lies more in its documentary interest and reading pleasure: it can be enjoyed as a plot-driven novel or used as a sample for observing late nineteenth-century American popular literary subjects. The text is the original English, suitable for readers with some English reading ability who are interested in early American popular fiction or detective and mystery subjects. When reading, do not expect the tight pacing of modern genre fiction; instead, pay attention to the narrative manner and the ideas of the era.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in late nineteenth-century American popular fiction
Readers who enjoy English originals of detective, mystery, and supernatural subjects
Those with good English reading ability willing to explore public-domain e-books
Researchers studying the subjects and narrative of early American genre literature

Not a good fit for

Readers with weak English reading skills who need a Chinese translation
Readers expecting modern fast-paced suspense fiction
General readers who read only contemporary bestsellers

Reading tips

Read the first few chapters to gauge the narrative pace and English difficulty, then decide whether to read through or selectively.
While reading, note how scientific discourse and mysterious elements intertwine, and keep notes on themes.
Read alongside background material on late nineteenth-century American society and popular publishing.
Use the e-book's search function to mark characters and key plot points for easy review.

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.

FAQ

What kind of work is this book?

From the available information, it is a novel by the American author Ottolengui, classified under American and Canadian literature. The author was active from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and the title's "modern wizard" suggests the work involves mysterious or charlatan subjects, but the specific plot should be confirmed from the original text.

What English level is needed to read it?

This is an English-language public-domain original, written in the literary English of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, with sentence patterns and vocabulary at some distance from modern English. Readers with college-level English or above, or those willing to read slowly with a dictionary, are advised to try.

Is this book suitable as research material?

It can serve as a reading sample of early American popular literature and genre subjects, but it is a public-domain e-book without modern annotation or introduction. For research, it is advisable to use it together with secondary sources on the author's life and the historical background.

Comments

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About the author

Rodrigues Ottolengui Author · American · 1861–1937

Rodrigues Ottolengui (1861–1937) was an American writer and dentist, born into a Sephardic family in Charleston, South Carolina, and moved to New York in 1877. He was one of the representative authors of early detective fiction, writing works such as An Artist in Crime, A Modern Wizard, and Final Proof; three of his works are held in this collection. His detective stories center on criminal investigation and evidential reasoning, with plots that emphasize logical deduction. At the same time, Ottolengui made notable contributions to dentistry as a pioneer of orthodontics and a founder of forensic dentistry, and he edited the dental journal Items of Interest for thirty-five years. These literary and medical strands run through his life, leaving his mark in both popular reading and professional fields.