In the Library

William Wymark JacobsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 20K words
Chapters: 3

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.In the Library by W. W. JacobsAuthor: Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark), 1863-1943,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 1, 2004

Editor's review

This is a short story by the British writer W. W. Jacobs, available in Project Gutenberg's free e-book collection for readers to enjoy within the public domain. Jacobs is known for humor, suspense, and twists; this story, set in a library, is a good introductory sample of British short fiction from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The text is short, in English, and not difficult, making it suitable for spare moments or extensive reading classes. Readers might focus on the pacing, the dialogue, and the surprise ending, and observe how the author creates dramatic effect from an everyday setting. As a public-domain e-book, it is easy to search, copy, and distribute in class, and it also works well alongside other stories by the same author for comparison of his habitual narrative techniques.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to understand the British short story tradition through short works
Teachers of English extensive reading looking for short teaching materials
Digital readers interested in public-domain e-book resources
Casual readers who enjoy suspenseful twist endings

Not a good fit for

Beginner English readers who need detailed notes or a Chinese translation
Readers who prefer long, continuous narratives and are unused to the short story form
Academic readers seeking the author's biography and in-depth study of his work

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then revisit the dialogue and foreshadowing to see how the ending is set up.
Read along with an audio version to feel the tone and comic rhythm of the English dialogue.
Compare with other Jacobs stories and note what his twist techniques have in common.
Discuss in class or a book club, in groups, what the library setting symbolizes.

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 level of English is needed to read this book?

The text is a short story in English with fairly everyday vocabulary and sentence patterns; a high school or basic college level of English reading ability is enough to read it through. When you meet unfamiliar words, try guessing from context first so overall understanding is not disrupted, and look up key words afterward.

Why is there no specific plot in the recommendation?

Because this material mainly provides bibliographic information and the publication source, it does not include a complete plot summary. The recommendation is based on Jacobs's characteristics as a short story writer and on the nature of public-domain e-books, avoiding invented details that are not in the book.

Can public-domain e-books be used freely?

This work is released by Project Gutenberg and is a public-domain e-book resource, generally usable for personal reading and classroom teaching. For specific copying, distribution, or adaptation, it is still advisable to check the copyright rules of your country or region.

Comments

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About the author

William Wymark Jacobs Author · British · 1863–1943

William Wymark Jacobs (1863–1943) was a British short-story writer, born in London in 1863 and died there in 1943. In his early years he lived around the Thames docks and was familiar with the lives of sailors and dockworkers, which led him to write a great many humorous sea stories, often in a light and witty tone. His best-known work, The Monkey's Paw, is a classic horror short story included in The Lady of the Barge (1902); noted for its tight suspense and sudden twists, it is still widely anthologized in horror collections. The library holds 109 of his works, including The Lady of the Barge and Others, Ship's Company, A Tiger's Skin, Captains All, and Night Watches; his common category is inspirational growth. Public information is limited and details of his life are largely unavailable, yet his fiction is distinctive in subject, blending humor with horror, and has had a lasting influence on later short-story writing.