Jack O' Judgment

Wallace, Edgar, 1875-1932Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 402K words
Chapters: 41

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.Jack O' Judgment by Edgar WallaceAuthor: Wallace, Edgar, 1875-1932,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 6, 2008

Editor's review

Edgar Wallace was a hugely popular writer of popular fiction in early twentieth-century Britain, known for fast-paced crime and adventure stories dense with suspense, and Jack O' Judgment is typical of his approach: built around a mysterious figure and layer upon layer of enigma, it moves swiftly, sets up conflict directly, and reads with real page-turning momentum. Wallace's works circulated mostly as serials and cheap editions aimed at a mass readership rather than at literary critics in the study, so this book prizes readability and dramatic tension over fine prose, with clear-cut villains and heroes and frequent twists. As a free electronic text from Project Gutenberg, it works as an accessible sample of the British popular thriller tradition and suits anyone wanting a light English read for the commute or a journey. One caveat: the original is in English and bears the formulaic marks of early twentieth-century popular fiction, so readers seeking literary depth or modern narrative technique may find limited surprise.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classic British crime suspense and adventure stories
Intermediate learners who want easy English original texts for reading practice
Researchers interested in the landscape of early twentieth-century British popular fiction
Readers who need fast-paced entertainment for the commute or a journey

Not a good fit for

Serious fiction readers expecting deep characterisation and literary experimentation
Readers who need a Chinese translation or are unused to early English expression
Readers sensitive to formulaic good-versus-evil conflict and coincidental twists

Reading tips

Read the first two or three chapters to get a fix on the characters and suspense threads, then go with the flow; there is no need to read every sentence closely.
When names and clues pile up, jot a simple character-relationship note to avoid confusion partway through.
Read it as genre fiction: focus on how suspense is laid out and paced rather than scrutinising the prose.
For English study, pick a passage from each chapter and retell it to consolidate plot vocabulary.

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

I haven't read other Wallace works. Can I start with this one?

Yes. Wallace's popular novels mostly stand alone as independent stories, and this book does not depend on earlier background, so reading it directly will not hinder comprehension. To get a feel for his style, just start with it as a single suspense story and decide afterwards whether to read more.

Is this book suitable for English learning?

It suits readers with some foundation. The narrative is driven mainly by plot, and the sentences are relatively direct, making it easier to finish than highly literary works. But the book is old, and some expression and vocabulary are distant from modern English, so beginners may need a dictionary or an annotated edition.

Why choose this electronic edition?

This is a free public-domain electronic text from Project Gutenberg: easy to obtain, zero cost, and suitable for sampling or as English original reading material. This edition is the original English text without a modern introduction or translator's notes, so readers need to fill in the author and period background themselves.

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About the author

Wallace, Edgar, 1875-1932 Author

Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) was a British writer known for tightly plotted, suspenseful popular fiction. The library holds 13 of his works, including The Angel of Terror, The Secret House, The Daffodil Mystery, Sanders of the River, Jack O' Judgment, The Clue of the Twisted Candle, The Keepers of the King's Peace, and Bones: Being Further Adventures in Mr. Commissioner Sanders' Country. His writing often blends crime, detective, and colonial-adventure elements, with brisk pacing and frequent twists that keep readers in suspense. Within the library's categories, some of his works are classed as inspirational and personal growth, though his narrative strength lies chiefly in mystery and adventure. He was widely influential in early twentieth-century English popular literature, and his works were widely circulated and adapted. Public information on the details of his life and nationality is limited, so no speculation is offered here.