Some Persons Unknown

Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William), 1866-1921Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 368K words
Chapters: 37

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.Some Persons Unknown by E. W. HornungAuthor: Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William), 1866-1921,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: May 23, 2014

Editor's review

This is the public-domain electronic edition of E. W. Hornung's short-story collection Some Persons Unknown, released by Project Gutenberg. Hornung is known for ingenious plotting and narrative pace; such collections suit fragmented reading: each story is self-contained and short, often with a twist at the end, light to read yet lingering. This edition is the original English text without modern notes, suitable as a sample of late nineteenth-century English popular fiction for observing narrative techniques, character types, and language habits of the time. For readers studying popular literature or practicing English short-story reading, it offers a low-cost text one can enter at any time. Note that the characters' attitudes and expressions bear clear marks of their era; enjoy the narrative interest while not taking the social attitudes as today's standards.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy short suspense stories and twist endings
Learners who want to practice extensive reading and language feel with English short stories
Literary readers studying late nineteenth-century English popular fiction
People with commutes or fragmented time who prefer short-story collections

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer long continuous narratives and complete character arcs
Readers sensitive to old-era social attitudes and easily discomforted
Beginners with weak English who need sentence-by-sentence notes

Reading tips

Read each story independently; pause after each to look back at foreshadowing planted at the start.
Keep a notebook on each story's narrative perspective and method of reversal, comparing the author's common techniques.
For English reading, first read through for plot, then revisit key dialogue to appreciate rhythm and implication.
Do not force yourself to finish at once; one or two stories per session keeps them fresh.

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

Do these short stories have continuous characters or plots?

Judging from the title and the way the collection is assembled, this is a collection of short stories, each usually self-contained, with no need to read in order. Readers can enter any story without losing plot continuity. For specific links between stories, refer to the book's contents and main text.

Are Hornung's short stories suitable for learning English?

They suit learners with some foundation for extensive reading. Sentences are not very difficult and the narrative moves quickly, making it easy to finish a story. But the text is from the late nineteenth century, and some words and sentence patterns differ from modern English; when puzzled, skip ahead first and revisit after finishing the story rather than checking every word.

Do I need to know Victorian background to read this book?

Systematic prior knowledge is not necessary, but knowing it belongs to late nineteenth-century English popular fiction makes it easier to understand characters' logic and the narrator's tone. Some social attitudes in the book are historically limited; readers can observe it as a historical text rather than a reference for contemporary values.

Comments

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About the author

Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William), 1866-1921 Author

E. W. Hornung (Ernest William Hornung, 1866–1921) was a British author best known for creating the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles. The collection here holds twenty-nine of his works, including the Raffles stories such as The Amateur Cracksman, Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman and A Thief in the Night, as well as crime and adventure novels like Stingaree and Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Notes of a Camp-Follower on the Western Front, based on his experiences in the First World War. His writing is brisk and neatly plotted, with a polished tone suited to characters who live on the edge of the law, and it holds a place in the traditions of crime and adventure fiction. Public information about his life is limited, so this introduction concentrates on his subjects and style.