Amusement Only

Marsh, Richard, 1857-1915Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 416K words
Chapters: 42

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.Amusement Only by Richard MarshAuthor: Marsh, Richard, 1857-1915,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Dec 2, 2011

Editor's review

Amusement Only is a collection of short pieces by Richard Marsh, and the title itself announces its purpose as entertainment: suited to casual dipping in spare moments rather than sustained plot development. Marsh was active from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and his writing bears the clear marks of the popular literature of that era—plots built on coincidence and reversal, brisk pacing, and largely type-based characterization. For today's readers the book's value lies more in the documentary and the diverting: it conveys the narrative pleasures of late Victorian popular reading and offers a window onto how urban life was then imagined. As a Project Gutenberg public-domain ebook it is extremely easy to obtain and makes a good entry point for light reading in the original English. Note that the language carries period features, with some expressions differing from current English usage; beginners should aim at general understanding rather than word-by-word scrutiny. Overall, this is a book for idle reading, not one to approach with high expectations of depth.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers who want a low-cost way to try short fiction in the original English
Literature enthusiasts interested in late Victorian popular fiction
Commuters who need light reading in short fragments
Researchers collecting material on late nineteenth-century English popular narrative

Not a good fit for

Serious fiction readers expecting profound themes and complex psychology
Beginners with weak English who struggle with century-old usage
Readers who want a full-length novel rather than a short-story collection

Reading tips

Read one or two pieces first to get the feel of the prose, then decide whether to read the whole book rather than forcing your way through in order
When you meet unfamiliar expressions, skip ahead for the gist and return later, so that frequent dictionary use does not break the rhythm
Read alongside background material on Victorian society to sense the period imprint of the text
Treat it as bedtime or commute reading, one piece at a time, keeping a relaxed attitude

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

Is this a novel or a short-story collection?

Judging by the title and genre classification, it is a collection of short pieces for entertainment rather than a single long narrative. You need not seek continuity; simply pick a piece and start. For the exact number and thematic spread of the pieces, consult the table of contents in the ebook itself.

Can I read it if my English is only average?

The book is in the original English and was written over a century ago, so its sentences and vocabulary differ from contemporary English. Readers with basic proficiency can attempt it but may find it hard at first. Use your e-reader's dictionary function and focus on following the plot rather than every unfamiliar word.

Why recommend this public-domain book?

It comes from Project Gutenberg and is a freely available public-domain ebook, so the cost of reading is almost nothing. For readers who want to test the waters of original English fiction without buying a new book, such texts are a low-risk starting point, and they also offer a glimpse of the output of early ebook projects.

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About the author

Marsh, Richard, 1857-1915 Author

Richard Marsh (1857-1915) was a British novelist of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, known for intricately plotted tales of mystery and suspense. Twenty-one of his works are held here, the best known being The Beetle: A Mystery, which belongs to the popular "monster novel" tradition of its day and echoes contemporary Gothic horror; A Second Coming draws on religious and apocalyptic themes. Other titles, such as Amusement Only, A Duel, Between the Dark and the Daylight, Miss Arnott's Marriage, Tom Ossington's Ghost and A Woman Perfected, range across the supernatural, crime, marriage and suspenseful adventure. Public information is limited and biographical details remain obscure, but his work shows a gift for atmosphere and startling twists, making him a name worth noting in the study of late Victorian popular fiction and horror literature.