Long Odds

Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 34K words
Chapters: 4

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.Long Odds by H. Rider HaggardAuthor: Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 1, 1999

Editor's review

Long Odds is a novel by the English writer Henry Rider Haggard, a classic of English literature made freely available to readers worldwide through Project Gutenberg. Haggard was known above all for adventure narrative, and this book carries on that storytelling tradition, with the plot driven by circumstance and choice rather than elaborate psychological portraiture. As a public-domain ebook, its value lies first in accessibility: readers can encounter a late-Victorian popular novel in its original form at no cost and sense the rhythm and pleasures of English narrative prose of the period. Editors should note that the text is in English, and the Project Gutenberg edition preserves earlier conventions of typesetting and usage; it suits English reading practice or background reading in literary history rather than use as a Chinese translation. On the whole, this is an entertaining work well suited to reading in fragments—on a commute or while travelling—and also to English learners building a feel for the language through a complete text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who want low-cost access to Victorian English fiction
English learners who want to practise reading with a complete original text
Literature enthusiasts interested in Haggard's adventure narrative style

Not a good fit for

Readers who need a Chinese translation and cannot easily read English
Those who expect a modern, fast-paced suspense structure and lack patience for older narrative modes

Reading tips

Read the first two chapters first to judge whether the pace and vocabulary suit you before committing to the whole book.
Keep a vocabulary notebook, noting a few recurring old-fashioned expressions per chapter, and review them once you finish.
Use the ebook's search function to revisit passages where characters are introduced and clarify relationships before reading on.
If reading for English study, set a fixed goal of one or two chapters a day: keep going steadily rather than fast.

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 Project Gutenberg edition is the original English text, not a Chinese translation. The title, author name and body text are all in English, so some English reading ability is needed; for Chinese reading, look for a legitimate Chinese translation separately.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

It is a free ebook produced by Project Gutenberg from a public-domain work, preserving earlier conventions of typesetting and wording. Its advantages are that it is free and easy to search; its limitations are minimal notes and no introduction, so old-fashioned expressions must be checked on your own.

What level of English is needed to read this book?

Intermediate English or above is advisable, with the ability to use a dictionary to understand long sentences and archaic vocabulary. If you rarely read original English texts, try one chapter to gauge the difficulty before deciding to read the whole book or selected portions.

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About the author

Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925 Author

H. Rider Haggard (Henry Rider Haggard, 1856–1925) was an English writer best known for his adventure and fantasy novels. Because public information is limited, his detailed life and educational background are not discussed here. The library holds 64 of his works, including representative titles such as King Solomon's Mines, She, Allan Quatermain, Nada the Lily, The People of the Mist, She and Allan, and Wisdom's Daughter. His writing often centers on African settings and exotic exploration, blending treasure hunting, ancient civilizations, mysterious women, and lost worlds into tightly plotted, highly imaginative stories. Characters such as Allan Quatermain have had a lasting influence on adventure literature, and his works have been translated into many languages and remain popular with readers.