Skiddoo!

George V. Hobart (George Vere Hobart; pseud. Hugh McHugh)Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 62K words
Chapters: 7

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.Skiddoo! by George V. HobartAuthor: Hobart, George V. (George Vere), 1867-1926,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Oct 30, 2006

Editor's review

Skiddoo! is an English-language work by American author George V. Hobart, classified under American and Canadian literature. Hobart was known for humorous short pieces and popular plays, and this work continues that brisk, colloquial narrative style, making it a useful sample of early twentieth-century American popular literary idiom. The Project Gutenberg public-domain edition preserves the original English text without modern annotation, so readers can encounter the wording, slang, and rhythm of the period directly. Its reading value lies in verbal wit and period atmosphere: dialogue is dense and the plot moves lightly, suiting fragmented reading sessions and letting language learners experience the humor of early American English. Note that some slang and jokes carry obvious period limitations and may not land immediately with today’s readers; it is best treated as cultural material rather than a plot-driven novel.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers curious about early twentieth-century American popular literature and humorous styles
English learners who want to experience early American English colloquial expression through the original text
Readers who enjoy light, short pieces readable on commutes or in fragmented time
Enthusiasts studying American popular literature or the magazine humor tradition

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting serious literary depth or complex character development
Beginner readers who need modern annotation and background guidance to understand slang
Readers with little interest in old-fashioned humor and colloquial expression

Reading tips

Begin by browsing a few passages at random to get a feel for the language rhythm before deciding whether to read straight through.
When encountering unfamiliar slang, first guess from context, then look it up systematically after finishing.
Use it as English language material: excerpt colloquial expressions and compare them with modern usage.
If used for research, record edition information and publication source for easy citation.

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

What kind of work is Skiddoo!?

According to the material, it is an English-language work in the American and Canadian literature category, and the author, George V. Hobart, was known for humorous popular writing. Specifically, it is a brisk narrative work with a marked colloquial and humorous flavor rather than a serious novel.

Can I understand the slang without annotations?

This electronic edition is a Project Gutenberg public-domain text without modern annotation. Some slang and jokes bear the marks of the early twentieth century; readers can first infer from context and then verify with dictionaries or background sources, and need not abandon reading over individual troublesome words.

Is this book suitable for English beginners?

Not very suitable for readers with zero or elementary English. The text preserves original English expression, including old-fashioned slang and colloquial structures, with no annotations. Readers with intermediate or higher reading ability and an interest in early American English will find it easier to enter.

What else did the author Hobart write?

The material provides only the author’s dates (1867–1926) and information about this book, without a complete list of works. To learn about his other writings, consult American literature reference works or library catalogs; this edition itself contains no author biography.

Comments

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About the author

George V. Hobart (George Vere Hobart; pseud. Hugh McHugh) Author · Canadian-American · 1867–1926

George V. Hobart (born George Vere Hobart; pen name Hugh McHugh, 1867–1926) was a Canadian-born American humorist and playwright. Born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, he later moved to the United States. Under the pen name Hugh McHugh he wrote the "John Henry" series of humorous novels, including You Can Search Me, Skiddoo!, Back to the Woods, Get Next!, The Silly Syclopedia and You Should Worry Says John Henry. His style is playful and witty, relying on colloquial dialogue and absurd situations for comic effect. Beyond fiction, he wrote more than fifty musical comedy scripts and numerous songs, and several of his works were adapted into films. He died in 1926 in Cumberland, Maryland. Public information is limited, and his works belong chiefly to popular humor and musical comedy; six of them are held in this collection.