'Possum

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 404K 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.'Possum by Mary Grant BruceAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jan 8, 2016

Editor's review

'Possum by the Australian author Mary Grant Bruce is a work of juvenile fiction, made available as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Bruce was known for writing about Australian bush life, and this book carries on that plain, unassuming vein, centering on children and animals, family and everyday life in the countryside. The language is simple and the book short, making it a suitable introduction to early English children's literature. Its value lies not in thrills and suspense but in the narrative rhythm and domestic detail of early twentieth-century English-language juvenile fiction, which makes it useful both to students of children's literary history and to readers practicing English. As a public-domain electronic edition, it is easy to obtain and suits reading in short stretches on a commute or before bed. Note that its language and attitudes bear the marks of their time; today's readers should take them historically rather than judge them by present-day standards.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate learners of English who want to practice reading original texts; short and moderately difficult
Readers interested in Australian literature and bush settings
Scholars or enthusiasts of early English children's literature and public-domain eBooks

Not a good fit for

Young readers who prefer strong plotting and fast-paced adventure
Readers expecting contemporary ideas and modes of expression in children's literature
Readers with weak English who need annotations to read fluently

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the story, then revisit the passages describing country life to appreciate the period style
Keep pen and paper for unfamiliar words and old-fashioned expressions, and use a dictionary for close reading practice
Read alongside other Australian bush juvenile novels to observe shared themes
Use the electronic edition's search function to locate chapters and proceed one chapter at a time

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?

Not really for absolute beginners. It is an early twentieth-century juvenile novel whose sentence patterns and vocabulary carry the marks of their time, and a certain vocabulary is needed to read it smoothly. It is best attempted by readers at an intermediate level who can read independently with a dictionary; beginners might start with retellings or graded readers.

Where can I get the electronic edition, and is it free?

The book is published by Project Gutenberg as a free public-domain eBook and can be downloaded from that project's website. The formats available are as listed on its page, and there is generally no charge.

What period differences should I keep in mind while reading?

The book's treatment of childhood education, family relations and nature reflects early twentieth-century attitudes and ways of life, and some expressions may seem dated today. Read it as a historical text and attend to its literary and documentary value rather than measuring it by contemporary standards.

Comments

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About the author

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Project Gutenberg is not a single author but a nonprofit digital library founded by Michael Hart in 1971 and one of the world's earliest free ebook platforms. It relies on volunteers to digitize, proofread, and freely distribute public-domain works and is now operated by the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Its collection contains 2,692 works, mainly religious texts, epics, and story collections, including the King James Bible and the Douay-Rheims volumes, the epic Mahabharata, a literal translation of the Arabian Nights, and Danish editions of the Old and New Testaments. Public information is limited, and its nature is closer to a public-interest compiling and dissemination body; these texts are open to the public, easy to consult and circulate, and have had a profound influence on the spread of ebooks and the preservation of public-domain resources.