Athelstane Ford

Allen UpwardProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 440K words
Chapters: 45

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.Athelstane Ford by Allen UpwardAuthor: Upward, Allen, 1863-1926,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Sep 21, 2008

Editor's review

Athelstane Ford is an English novel by the British writer Allen Upward (1863–1926), included in Project Gutenberg under the category of English language and literature. As a public-domain ebook, its value lies first in the accessibility and original form of the text: readers can read the work at no cost without relying on reprinted anthologies or secondhand summaries. Upward himself was a novelist and poet who also wrote works with Oriental and mystical leanings, but for this book the materials indicate only that it belongs to English literature; its specific plot and style should not be guessed at here. It is suitable as supplementary reading in English literature: on the one hand, it can be used to observe the linguistic habits of English popular narrative in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; on the other, it serves as a sample for readers studying how Project Gutenberg texts are prepared. The electronic edition was proofread by volunteers, so watch for typographical differences that may remain from early scans. If you are doing extensive reading of English novels, research on the digitization of public-domain books, or simply want to expand your reading of English originals, this book is worth adding to your list, but do not expect a modern introduction or annotations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English learners who want to expand their reading with English originals
Literary scholars studying English fiction of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
Collectors of materials on public-domain ebooks and text digitization
Readers accustomed to unannotated originals who can look up background information themselves

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a Chinese translation or a bilingual edition
Beginners who need detailed annotations, introductions, and a chronology of the author’s life
General readers who prefer the pace and themes of contemporary bestsellers

Reading tips

Read the first two chapters to gauge the narrative pace and language difficulty, then decide whether to read closely or extensively.
Keep an English dictionary and a brief account of the author’s life at hand to check proper names as you read.
For textual research, consult the Project Gutenberg page and record the version and proofreading information.
Read one or two chapters at a time and write a three-to-five-sentence summary in English to combine comprehension with language practice.

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 in Chinese or English?

The text is in English. The Project Gutenberg entry lists its language as English and classifies it under PR (English language and literature). There is no Chinese translation in the book, so readers need some English reading ability.

Do I need to know about the author’s life before reading?

Not as a prerequisite. The author, Allen Upward (1863–1926), was a British writer, but this electronic edition provides no detailed introduction. You can read the text first and consult brief background information on the author if you encounter difficulties.

Will the electronic edition have typesetting or typo problems?

Project Gutenberg texts are prepared by volunteers, and works posted early may retain traces of scanning or transcription, such as odd spellings or irregular line breaks. Prioritize understanding the meaning, and check key passages against other public-domain sources if needed.

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About the author

Allen Upward Author · British · 1863–1926

George Allen Upward (1863–1926) was a British poet, lawyer, politician and teacher, born in Worcester. His work was included in Des Imagistes (1914), the first Imagist anthology edited by Ezra Pound, which gave him a place in the modernist poetic movement. He also wrote fiction, including Athelstane Ford, The International Spy and The Queen Against Owen, works of historical adventure and spy stories with strong plots that show his command of popular narrative. Public information about his life and writing is limited; later assessments tend to focus on his connection with Imagism and the popular appeal of his novels. He took his own life in his later years.