Desert Dust

Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand), 1870-1952Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 379K words
Chapters: 38

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. Desert Dust by Edwin L. Sabin. Author: Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand), 1870-1952. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Dec 7, 2008

Editor's review

Desert Dust, by Edwin L. Sabin, is likewise offered as a free eBook through Project Gutenberg. Sabin's writing draws largely on the American West and frontier life; this book sets its stage in the desert and unfolds adventure, survival, and tests between people, carrying the typical temper of early western popular fiction: a harsh environment, action first, and characters revealing their true nature under extreme circumstances. As a public-domain text, its value lies on one hand in the readability and sense of scene of the story, and on the other in the sample it offers for understanding the "desert imagination" in early twentieth-century American popular literature. Readers may attend to how the author uses geography to drive the plot, how he arranges conflict and reconciliation, and what period notions surface in the narration. One caveat: the work was written long ago, and some wording and portrayals of ethnic groups carry historical limitations; it is better read with an eye to literary history than taken as a model of contemporary values.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-fiction readers who prefer desert and frontier adventure
Readers and researchers interested in the evolution of the American western literary genre
Those who want public-domain eBooks for English extensive reading practice
Readers curious about geographical imagination in early popular literature

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking modern psychological depth and finely drawn character arcs
People sensitive to the period prejudices expressed in early works
Readers who need a strong mystery structure or fast-paced reversals

Reading tips

Read through the main plot first, then return to the desert scene descriptions to see how the environment drives the narrative.
In English extensive reading, don't get stuck on unfamiliar words; focus first on the action line and character relationships.
Read alongside western novels of the same period and compare the desert imagery and patterns of conflict.
Note expressions bearing the marks of their time as you read, and reflect on or discuss them briefly afterward.

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 suitable for English beginners?

As a public-domain English novel, the language is generally plain, but the book is early, and some sentence patterns and word choices are distant from modern English. Readers with basic reading ability can get through it with a dictionary; absolute beginners are advised to start with easier material.

Is the story set in the American West?

Judging by author Sabin's usual subject matter and by the title, the book unfolds an adventure narrative set in a desert environment and belongs to the popular fiction of the American West and frontier; the specific plot should be judged from the original text.

Does the Gutenberg edition include notes or an introduction?

Project Gutenberg mainly provides public-domain electronic texts, and its editions usually contain no scholarly notes or introduction. For background, consult public materials on American western literature and the author's life separately.

Comments

Find this book

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

Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand), 1870-1952 Author

Edwin L. Sabin (1870–1952) was an American author known for writing historical adventure and frontier stories for young readers. Nine of his works are held in this collection, commonly categorized as inspirational coming-of-age reading. His writing draws heavily on the history of the American West and of Native American peoples: Boys' Book of Indian Warriors and Heroic Indian Women and Boys' Book of Frontier Fighters portray frontier figures and conflicts, Gold Seekers of '49 and The Pike's Peak Rush focus on the gold rush era, and With Carson and Frémont centers on western explorers. His books emphasize courage, perseverance, and the spirit of exploration, with brisk narratives that combine historical knowledge with adventure. Public information about his life is limited, so this introduction is based only on the works listed and their identifiable themes.