Erling the Bold

Robert Michael BallantyneProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 544K words
Chapters: 55

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. Erling the Bold by R. M. Ballantyne. Author: Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael), 1825-1894. Language: English. Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres. Release Date: Jun 7, 2007

Editor's review

Erling the Bold is a boys' adventure novel by R. M. Ballantyne set in the old Norse world, centering on the growth and exploits of its protagonist Erling. Ballantyne renders seafaring, combat, and Norse life in realistic detail; the story moves at a brisk pace, with the hero's courage and sense of duty running throughout. It is well suited as an entry point for young readers into the adventure-literary tradition. This edition comes from Project Gutenberg's free electronic text, in English, of moderate length, convenient for classroom excerpts or independent reading. Readers can enjoy the momentum of the plot while also sensing how nineteenth-century juvenile fiction emphasized character and action. Note that the book contains historical depictions of combat and violence, so younger readers would benefit from adult guidance; the English original poses some difficulty for non-native readers, and annotated or graded versions are recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Young readers who enjoy Norse settings and seafaring adventure stories
Literature enthusiasts interested in the nineteenth-century English boys' fiction tradition
Upper-secondary students in need of English original extracurricular reading
Digital readers interested in Project Gutenberg public-domain ebooks

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer a Chinese translation and are not comfortable with the English original
Young children sensitive to depictions of combat and conflict
Readers seeking scholarly historical research or Norse mythology studies

Reading tips

Read the chapter titles and opening paragraphs first to grasp the character relationships before entering the plot.
Jot down old Norse proper names as you go to help maintain reading continuity.
Read it alongside the same author's The Coral Island to observe his adventure-narrative patterns.
Young readers can read two to three chapters a week and retell the main events 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

What English level is this book suitable for?

The original is nineteenth-century English, with fairly long sentences and period-flavored vocabulary; it is roughly suited to high-school-level and above learners who can read an original novel with a dictionary. Younger students are advised to use an annotated edition or read with a teacher, first grasping the main plot and then working through language details.

Is the setting real history or fiction?

The novel is set in the old Norse world, but its characters and plot are literary invention rather than strict historical record. Ballantyne drew on Norse life and seafaring for detail, but it should be read as an adventure novel, not a historical source, and should not be used to verify specific historical events.

Is there any difference between the electronic edition and the paper book?

This is a public-domain electronic text released by Project Gutenberg, containing the author's original body text. Different platforms may vary in layout, cover, and notes, but the main text is generally the same. Readers can choose PDF, EPUB, or plain text formats as needed for use on phones or e-readers.

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About the author

Robert Michael Ballantyne Author · United Kingdom · 1825–1894

Robert Michael Ballantyne (1825–1894) was a Scottish writer of children's literature, born in Edinburgh. At sixteen he went to Canada and worked for the Hudson's Bay Company for six years, an experience that later supplied material for his adventure stories; after returning to Scotland in 1847 he devoted himself to writing and produced more than a hundred adventure novels, of which ninety-seven are held in this collection. His representative works include The Coral Island, The Dog Crusoe and his Master, Black Ivory, The Lighthouse and Martin Rattler, mostly drawing on seafaring, desert-island and frontier adventure, with tight plots and solid detail that combine instruction with appeal for young readers. He was also skilled in watercolour painting. Public information on his early education and private life is limited.