The Discards

McWhorter, Lucullus Virgil, 1860-1944Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 60K 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.The Discards by Lucullus Virgil McWhorterAuthor: McWhorter, Lucullus Virgil, 1860-1944,Language: English, Class: E011: History: America: America, Release Date: Aug 25, 2011

Editor's review

The Discards is a work by McWhorter, brought back to readers in a public-domain e-edition. It is classified under American history, with a clear cast of historical narrative and local record. The title itself signals a theme of the abandoned and the overlooked; as you read, note how the author selects material and presents the circumstances of marginal figures or events. The value of such a text lies in the period perspective and documentary quality it offers, making it suitable as supplementary reading for those interested in American history and Western narrative. Given the limited material, do not expect complete scholarly verification or modern annotation; it is better treated as a primary text to be cross-checked against other sources. The English bears the marks of its era and requires patience; jot down names and places as you go so you can connect them later.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in American history and local narrative
Readers drawn to marginal figures and overlooked groups
Researchers seeking public-domain sources for supplementary reading
Readers comfortable with English who enjoy historical texts

Not a good fit for

Rigorous researchers expecting modern scholarly annotation and verification
Readers hoping for light fiction or fast-paced storytelling
Those who struggle with English and are unwilling to check background information

Reading tips

Read the preface or opening remarks first to grasp the writing context and narrative stance before entering the main text.
Note names, places, and dates as you read to keep the scattered narrative threads straight.
Read alongside background material on American history to make up for the lack of annotation in the public-domain text.
Do not force yourself to finish in one sitting; proceed chapter by chapter and allow time for checking and reviewing.

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 fiction or historical narrative?

Based on how it is classified, it falls under American history and is closer to historical narrative and local record than to fiction. Read it as nonfiction, note the author's sources and stance, and cross-reference it with other historical materials.

How should “Discards” in the title be understood?

Literally it means things thrown away, and by extension people and events neglected by society or historical narrative. What it refers to specifically must be judged from the text; as you read, pay attention to the author's depiction of marginal circumstances and tendency in selecting material.

What should I do about the lack of annotation in the public-domain edition?

Prepare your own background material on American history, and briefly check and note unfamiliar names, places, and events. Treating the book as a primary text and reading it against other historical sources will help you better understand its narrative value and limitations.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

McWhorter, Lucullus Virgil, 1860-1944 Author · American · 1860–1944

McWhorter, Lucullus Virgil (1860–1944) was an American frontier pioneer and writer. Public information about his life and education is limited; existing records mainly indicate that he lived for many years in the American West, where he developed a lasting interest in Native American peoples, especially the Nez Perce, and in their history and oral traditions. His writing is not chiefly fictional but focuses on firsthand observation and the recording of tribal memory, seeking to preserve traceable material about a West undergoing rapid change. His representative work in this collection, The Discards, reflects this approach: it attends to figures and events overlooked by mainstream narratives, in a plain and documentary style. His works remain of some reference value to later readers studying the Nez Perce and the history of the American frontier, and are often treated as a supplement to local historical and ethnographic sources.