The Cryptogram: A Novel

De Mille, James, 1833-1880Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 1.6K words
Chapters: 1

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.The Cryptogram: A Novel by James De MilleAuthor: De Mille, James, 1833-1880,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 29, 2009

Editor's review

James De Mille's The Cryptogram is a nineteenth-century North American novel that blends suspense with adventure. The author excels at constructing outlandish plots and layer-by-layer puzzle-solving; the book revolves around a mysterious document, with characters advancing the story through pursuit and deduction, offering the clear pleasures of popular fiction. As a public-domain literary work, it preserves the pace and idiom of Victorian popular narrative: multiple plot threads and dialogue-driven momentum, but with a long opening setup and character relationships that require patience to sort out. For readers studying nineteenth-century American and Canadian English popular literature, it serves as a sample of the bestselling narrative modes of its time; for general readers, it suits as leisurely reading for long holidays or journeys. While reading, one may focus on how information is gradually revealed and appreciate the typical early suspense technique of advancing plot through letters, relics, and oral accounts.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Casual readers who enjoy classic suspense and puzzle-solving stories
Literature enthusiasts interested in nineteenth-century American and Canadian English popular fiction
English learners seeking public-domain English novels for extensive reading and language-feel training
Readers willing to patiently follow multi-threaded narratives as the plot advances

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced modern thrillers with strong twist structures
Readers intolerant of lengthy setup and nineteenth-century narrative idiom
Hardcore mystery fans hoping for rigorous deduction and fair-play puzzle solving

Reading tips

There are many characters at the outset; make a simple character relationship chart before reading on.
Note each new clue chapter by chapter to appreciate how suspense accumulates.
If the original English is difficult, read the first few chapters to adjust to the idiom, then set your pace.
Best read in multiple sessions, one or two chapters at a time, to avoid confusion from too many clues.

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 a strict detective novel?

Not in the strict sense. It is closer to nineteenth-century popular adventure and suspense fiction, driven by a mysterious document and layer-by-layer revelation rather than modern fair-play, tightly logical detective deduction.

Is the pacing too slow?

The opening has considerable setup and character introduction, so the pace is indeed slower than modern popular fiction. Once the main plot begins, suspense unfolds gradually. If you are used to fast-paced reading, try the first few chapters before deciding whether to continue.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading material. The language is nineteenth-century English with longer sentences and older vocabulary, suited to readers with some foundation. Focus on understanding the plot rather than looking up every word; guess unfamiliar words from context first.

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About the author

De Mille, James, 1833-1880 Author

James De Mille (1833-1880) was a nineteenth-century novelist writing in English, though details of his life are scarce in publicly available sources and what is known rests largely on his works. Eighteen of his books are held here, spanning a wide range of genres: the utopian and adventurous fantasy of A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder, mystery and detective fiction such as The Cryptogram, Lost in the Fog and Cord and Creese, social novels including A Castle in Spain and The American Baron, and books for young readers like The B. O. W. C.: A Book For Boys and Fire in the Woods. His writing is marked by outlandish plots, puzzles and brisk pacing, with touches of satire and moral instruction, giving him a place in Victorian popular fiction and boys' adventure literature.