Round the World

Andrew CarnegieProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 524K 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.Round the World by Andrew CarnegieAuthor: Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919,Language: English, Class: G: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation, Release Date: Sep 1, 2004

Editor's review

This is Andrew Carnegie's round-the-world travelogue written in English, a work of geography and travel literature, released free by Project Gutenberg. Carnegie was a nineteenth-century American industrial magnate, and his writing carries the observational perspective and personal judgments of a traveler of that era; readers can thus learn about transoceanic travel in the early twentieth century and the world view of an industrialist. The book's strength lies in its first-hand travel record and the author's candid narrative voice, making it suitable supplementary material for understanding round-the-world travel in an older era. It should be read as a historical document rather than a modern travel guide, with attention to the limitations of ideas and information imposed by the period of its composition. Owing to the Project Gutenberg edition, the text is in English, and Chinese readers need some English reading ability. It is suitable as extended reading for readers interested in travel literature, modern travel history, or Carnegie's life.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Historical readers interested in round-the-world travel records of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
Biography readers hoping to understand a lesser-known side of Carnegie's life and thought
Readers with English reading ability who enjoy first-person travelogues
Scholarly readers studying modern travel literature and geographical conceptions

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking modern practical travel guides and route information
Ordinary readers who struggle with English and hope for a Chinese translation
Readers expecting systematic geographical knowledge or academic verification

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents and preface to grasp the travel route and the period of writing, then read the chapters in order
Keep a world map at hand and compare it with the author's locations while reading to enhance spatial sense
Look up unfamiliar place names and historical background as needed; there is no need to understand everything at once
Read it alongside other travelogues of the same era to appreciate differences in perspective

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?

According to the Project Gutenberg catalog information, the book's language is English and the text is the original English, with no accompanying Chinese translation. Chinese readers need some English reading ability, or may use dictionaries and translation tools for assistance.

Is this book suitable as a travel guide?

No. This book is a travel record from Carnegie's era; it was written long ago, and transportation, cityscapes, and travel conditions have long since changed. It contains no modern practical information on routes, accommodation, or costs. It is better read as a historical and literary travelogue.

Do I need to know about Carnegie before reading?

Not strictly, but it helps. Knowing Carnegie as a nineteenth-century American industrialist helps in understanding the narrator's standpoint, concerns, and tone. If you only want to read the travel observations, you can read the main text directly and look up the author's background when passages concerning it arise.

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About the author

Andrew Carnegie Author · American · 1835–1919

Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) was a Scottish-born American industrialist, philanthropist, and writer. Born in Dunfermline, Scotland, he moved with his family to the United States in 1848. A self-made man, he founded the Carnegie Steel Company and became known as the "Steel King"; in later life he gave away much of his fortune to public causes, funding libraries, concert halls, and a peace palace. His writings range across autobiography, social commentary, and travelogue, written in a plain and lucid style and often drawing on personal experience to argue for the responsibilities of wealth. His representative works include the Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie, The Gospel of Wealth, Round the World, James Watt, and An American Four-in-Hand in Britain. Five of his works are held in this collection; public information on his early life and the circumstances of his writing is limited.