The High Toby

Watson, H. B. Marriott (Henry Brereton Marriott),Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 355K words
Chapters: 36

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 High Toby by H. B. Marriott WatsonAuthor: Watson, H. B. Marriott (Henry Brereton Marriott), 1863-1921,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Sep 23, 2016

Editor's review

The High Toby is an English literary work by the British author H. B. Marriott Watson, available in the Project Gutenberg public-domain ebook collection. Its classification number PR (English language and literature) places it within the British literary tradition, making it a suitable reading sample for understanding the character of British popular fiction from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Presented as a convenient electronic text that readers can access free of charge, the book is particularly suited to extensive reading practice in English language learning or as supplementary material for British literature courses. For readers who enjoy old-fashioned English narrative style and are interested in the popular genres of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, this book offers firsthand primary-language material. One caveat: this is a public-domain electronic text, not a modern scholarly edition; the typography and annotations remain as originally published, so reading should focus on language experience and literary-historical interest rather than on detailed scholarly annotation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate to advanced English learners who want to improve extensive reading skills through original English novels
Readers interested in late nineteenth-century British popular literature and fiction genres
Literature teachers and students who need free public-domain English texts
Readers who enjoy old-fashioned English narrative style and are willing to accept the original typography

Not a good fit for

Academic researchers seeking modern scholarly editions with annotations
Beginners with weak English skills who need graded readers or bilingual editions
Readers expecting detailed introductions and background materials beyond a plot summary

Reading tips

Read a chapter or two first to get a feel for the language style, then decide whether to read closely or selectively.
Mark unfamiliar archaic usages and look them up later to avoid interrupting the reading rhythm.
Use a timeline of British literary history to place the book in its historical context.
Adjust font size and line spacing on an e-reader to reduce the burden of the original typography.

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 suitable for English beginners?

Not really. This is an original English literary work whose language has period features, and its vocabulary and sentence patterns pose a certain barrier for beginners. It is better suited to intermediate and advanced learners for extensive reading; beginners may first choose graded readers or bilingual editions to build a foundation.

What are the characteristics of the Project Gutenberg version?

Project Gutenberg provides free public-domain electronic texts prepared and released by volunteers, preserving the original work and usually lacking modern editorial annotations or detailed introductions. Access is convenient and free, but the typography and annotations are less polished than modern commercial editions.

What background knowledge is needed to read this book?

Some familiarity with the general landscape of British literature from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century helps but is not essential. General readers can read driven by interest and look up historical or cultural background as questions arise, without systematic preparation beforehand.

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About the author

Watson, H. B. Marriott (Henry Brereton Marriott), Author · British · 1863–1921

H. B. Marriott Watson (full name Henry Brereton Marriott Watson, 1863–1921) was a British novelist whose career spanned the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, during which he published a number of popular novels. Two of his works are held in this collection, The High Toby and Hurricane Island; their titles suggest adventure and romance themes, in keeping with the popular reading tastes of his time. Public information about his life is limited, and details of his education, career and writing remain difficult to establish; the existing profile describes him simply as a novelist and outlines the period in which he was active. His works nonetheless offer a concrete example for observing the character of British popular fiction in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.