As I Remember

Gouverneur, MarianProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.3

Word count: 797K words
Chapters: 80

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.As I Remember by Marian GouverneurAuthor: Gouverneur, Marian,Language: English, Class: F106: United States local history: Atlantic coast. Middle Atlantic States, Release Date: Mar 22, 2009

Editor's review

This book is a memoir-like work by Marion Gouverneur, classified under local history of the Mid-Atlantic states. As a public-domain title in the Project Gutenberg free ebook collection, its value lies not in the modernity of its narrative technique but in the social landscape and local memory seen through a firsthand witness. Readers can glimpse nineteenth-century American city life, family relations, and public events, making it suitable for those interested in American local history, the memoir form, or everyday details of an older era. The style bears the marks of its time, with a leisurely pace and information density concentrated on restoring people and scenes. It is best read slowly as historical sketches rather than for plot momentum; familiarity with the history of New York and other East Coast cities will make its details more enjoyable. For readers studying the circulation of public-domain ebooks, it is also a sample of early digitized texts.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century American local history and city life
Readers who prefer memoirs and personal narratives to plot-driven fiction
Readers studying public-domain ebooks and early digitized texts
Those who want a firsthand view of everyday details in an older era

Not a good fit for

Fiction readers expecting tight plots and dramatic conflict
Researchers needing modern scholarly annotations and systematic source criticism
Readers impatient with nineteenth-century English and slow-paced narrative

Reading tips

Start with the table of contents and chapter headings, and begin with sections related to New York or East Coast cities.
Treat the book as historical sketches, reading one or two chapters at a time alongside maps or historical background.
Mark unfamiliar names and places lightly, then review them after finishing a chapter to avoid frequent interruptions.
For research purposes, excerpt descriptions of social customs and public events into separate notes.

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 book a novel or a memoir?

Judging from the title and cataloging, it is a memoir-like text classified under local history of the Mid-Atlantic states, not a work of fiction. Readers should approach it expecting firsthand accounts and local memory rather than a complete plot line.

Is the original English difficult to read?

The text carries nineteenth-century English habits, with sentence patterns and wording distant from modern English, but it is generally essay-like narrative rather than academic prose. Read in sections with an electronic dictionary, grasp the main idea of each paragraph first, and do not puzzle over every word.

Is it suitable as a primary source for historical research?

It can serve as supplementary material from a firsthand perspective, conveying the atmosphere and everyday details of the era, but it lacks modern scholarly annotation and systematic source criticism. For serious research, cross-check it with local history monographs and archival sources rather than relying on it alone.

Comments

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About the author

Gouverneur, Marian Author

Marian Gouverneur is an author about whom very little public information is currently available; her nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background have not been clearly recorded. According to the existing bibliographic information, only one work of hers has been collected, namely As I Remember. Judging from the title, the book has the character of a memoir or reminiscent essays, and its content may center on personal experiences, observations, and memories of an era, in a plain and intimate narrative tone. Because reviews and biographical materials are scarce, it is difficult to assess her writing style and literary standing with certainty. For readers, the most direct way to learn about this author is to read this work itself and to sense her recording of and feeling for the past.