Post Haste

Robert Michael BallantyneProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 521K words
Chapters: 53

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.Post Haste by R. M. BallantyneAuthor: Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael), 1825-1894,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jun 6, 2007

Editor's review

Post Haste is another novel by R. M. Ballantyne for young readers, likewise a free public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg. The title suggests themes of postal service, delivery, or rapid action; Ballantyne excelled at combining everyday work with adventure plots, thereby conveying to young readers the values of diligence, trustworthiness, and decisiveness in a crisis. The book falls under Juvenile belles lettres: its narrative is straightforward and brisk, and its characters serve plot and moral instruction rather than deep psychological portrayal. Its value for readers lies in offering a window onto how nineteenth-century English juvenile literature shaped professional ethics and a sense of responsibility; it is also suitable as English extensive reading material. Readers should not expect the complex structure of a modern novel, but should focus on how the story presents themes of character through concrete events. Because this is an original public-domain eBook without a modern introduction, readers are advised to supplement their own knowledge of the author and period background for a more accurate understanding of the text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century English juvenile fiction
Learners who wish to practice English extensive reading with public-domain texts
Those drawn to stories about professional ethics and responsibility
Collectors and researchers of Ballantyne's works

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer modern narrative techniques and complex structures
Readers who need a Chinese translation or detailed annotations
Readers with little patience for didactic stories

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to establish the themes and character relationships, then decide whether to read through or selectively.
Note details related to postal service or delivery, and consider how the author uses them to develop the plot.
Read this alongside The Prairie Chief and compare how Ballantyne handles different subjects.
After finishing, summarize the story's moral themes in a few sentences to test your understanding.

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 related to the postal service?

Judging from the title, the story involves themes of postal service, delivery, or rapid action, but the specific plot must be judged from the original text. Ballantyne often combined everyday professional settings with adventure; readers can watch for this trait as they read rather than assuming a fixed plot direction.

Will it be hard to read without a modern introduction?

The text itself is straightforward in narration; the main obstacles are nineteenth-century English usage and period background. It is advisable to first look up basic facts about Ballantyne's life and work, keep a steady pace while reading, guess rather than look up every word, and deal with difficult passages afterward.

Is this book suitable as classroom reading material?

It can serve as supplementary material for English extensive reading or literary-historical background, but is not recommended as a stand-alone intensive reading textbook. Class discussion will be more effective if the teacher supplies period background and author information and guides students to examine the values in the book.

Comments

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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.