The Strong Arm

Barr, Robert, 1850-1912Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 538K words
Chapters: 54

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 Strong Arm by Robert BarrAuthor: Barr, Robert, 1850-1912,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Aug 1, 2005

Editor's review

The Strong Arm is a novel by Canadian author Robert Barr, presented here as an English-language eBook by Project Gutenberg. Writing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Barr favored tight plots and brisk narration, and this work follows the same style. The title's "strong arm" serves both as a hook of suspense and as a hint that the story turns on tensions of power, will, and fate. As a public-domain eBook, its value lies not only in the reading itself but also in offering a window onto the narrative tastes of popular fiction in that era. For readers used to modern long-form novels, its length and pace are relatively light, well suited to being read in sections during commutes, travel, or short holidays. The English original preserves the period's feel for language; readers may note the craft of dialogue and scene transitions, which makes it useful material for studying English narrative literature and early English popular fiction. One caveat: this is a Project Gutenberg electronic text, formatted mainly for function rather than as a scholarly edition with detailed notes, so readers who want deeper background should supplement it with material on the author and his era.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy English popular fiction of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
English learners who want light practice reading original English texts
Readers interested in public-domain eBooks and early electronic publishing
Literature enthusiasts and writers in need of short narrative material

Not a good fit for

Scholars of classical literature expecting detailed notes and scholarly introductions
Readers who prefer contemporary fast-paced genre fiction with strong reversals
Readers who need a Chinese translation and are not used to reading English originals

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then a second time to note how dialogue and scene transitions are handled.
Jot down unfamiliar period expressions and look them up together afterward, so the rhythm is not constantly interrupted.
Read in sections during commutes or before bed, and after each section summarize what happened in one or two sentences.
If using it for English study, pick a dialogue you like for reading aloud or retelling practice.

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 in Chinese or English?

This is the English-language original eBook released by Project Gutenberg, with the main text in English and no Chinese translation included. It suits readers with some English reading ability who are willing to engage directly with the original.

Does this eBook edition include notes or an introduction?

From the available information, this is a public-domain electronic text from Project Gutenberg, providing mainly the original text rather than an edition with detailed notes or a scholarly introduction. For background, it is advisable to consult separate material on the author Robert Barr and English fiction of his time.

I haven't read the author's other works. Can I start with this one?

Yes. This is a standalone novel that does not depend on prior works. If you are new to Barr, you can treat it as an entry point to his narrative style, then decide whether to seek out his other works.

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About the author

Barr, Robert, 1850-1912 Author

Robert Barr (1850–1912) was an English-language writer active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Public information about his life and nationality is limited, and 21 of his works are held in this collection. He wrote mainly fiction, spanning detective, adventure, and humorous or satirical subjects. He created the shrewd French detective Eugène Valmont and also wrote tales with historical and craft elements, such as The Sword Maker, as well as works focused on everyday life and character, including In the Midst of Alarms and Jennie Baxter, Journalist. Barr was skilled at unfolding plots in a light tone, with lively dialogue and brisk pacing, earning him a place in popular fiction. His works remain of interest to scholars of popular English literature and early detective fiction.