The Last Leaf

Hosmer, James Kendall, 1834-1927Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 471K words
Chapters: 48

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 Last Leaf by James Kendall HosmerAuthor: Hosmer, James Kendall, 1834-1927,Language: English, Class: E300: History: America: Revolution to the Civil War (1783-1861), Release Date: May 1, 2004

Editor's review

This book is a historical work by the American historian James Kendall Hosmer, classified under American history from the Revolutionary War to the pre-Civil War period. The title evokes "the last leaf," suggesting remembrance of a bygone era or figures. Grounded in the author's historical training, the writing leans toward narrative and character sketches, suitable for readers interested in early American history as an introduction or supplementary reading. It is not a comprehensive, systematic general history but rather a set of historical sketches with a nostalgic quality—readers can sense the tone and concerns of nineteenth-century American historical writing. Given the limited materials, readers must identify the specific figures and events for themselves as they read.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in American history from the Revolutionary War to the pre-Civil War period
Readers who enjoy historical essays and character-based narrative sketches
English or history majors who need exposure to original English historical sources

Not a good fit for

Beginners who need a systematic, complete framework of American general history
Readers who prefer strongly plotted novels or fast-paced narratives
Those with a weak English foundation who find nineteenth-century written English difficult

Reading tips

Browse the table of contents and chapter titles first to determine the theme of each piece before deciding on the reading order
Read alongside a chronology of early American history to help place figures and events in context
After each chapter, briefly note the relationships among figures and the historical background to avoid scattered threads

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 novel or a historical work?

The materials classify it under American history, and the author, Hosmer, was himself a historian, so it should be regarded as historical narrative or historical essays rather than a fictional novel. The individual chapters focus mainly on figures and period sketches and may be read as historical prose.

Is the title "The Last Leaf" related to O. Henry's short story?

There is no evidence that the two are related. The author is the historian Hosmer, and the title should be understood as a metaphor for remembrance and things passed; it has nothing to do with the plot of O. Henry's short story of the same name, and readers need not make that association.

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

Hosmer, James Kendall, 1834-1927 Author · American · 1834–1927

Hosmer, James Kendall (1834–1927), was an American historian and librarian. He devoted himself to the study and writing of early American history, focusing on the political changes, individual figures, and local society of the colonial and Revolutionary periods, and presenting historical events in a clear and rigorous narrative style. His representative work, The Last Leaf, reflects his concern with figures and memories of the past. As a librarian, he valued the organization and preservation of historical sources, which supported his historical writing. Overall, his works helped general readers of his time understand the historical context of America before and after independence, and they remain accessible works of reference for the study of this period. Public information is limited, and details of his life and the full range of his works await further verification.