The Talkative Tree

Fyfe, H. B. (Horace Bowne), 1918-1997Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 19K words
Chapters: 2

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 Talkative Tree by H. B. FyfeAuthor: Fyfe, H. B. (Horace Bowne), 1918-1997,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Dec 8, 2007

Editor's review

The Talkative Tree is a short work by H. B. Fyfe, available in Project Gutenberg's public-domain e-book library and classified under American literature. Fyfe was active in mid-twentieth-century popular fiction, and his work often carries a light imaginative touch and everyday appeal. This book is brief and makes a good entry point for reading short fiction in the original English, as well as casual reading for those interested in the landscape of early American popular literature. The electronic edition was prepared and proofread by volunteers; the text is free and easy to obtain, and can be opened at any time on a phone, tablet, or e-reader. There is no need to seek complex plots or deep themes; it is better treated as a relaxed extensive reading experience that conveys the feel and rhythm of mid-century popular writing. For readers who want to sample public-domain English works in spare moments, it is a low-threshold choice.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English learners who want to practice extensive reading with short original texts
Readers interested in mid-twentieth-century American popular fiction
Readers looking for free public-domain e-book resources
People who enjoy light short pieces and reading in spare moments

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long, complex plots or deep themes
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or bilingual edition
Those with very high standards for the proofreading quality of public-domain e-books

Reading tips

Read through once for the gist, then look up unfamiliar words on the second pass to avoid constantly interrupting the reading rhythm.
Use an audio recording or read-aloud practice alongside the text to get a feel for the language and syntax of the English short story.
After reading, write a three-to-five-sentence summary to check whether you have grasped the main plot.
If you like the author's style, search Project Gutenberg for other public-domain works by him for further reading.

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?

The original is in English. Although short, it still poses some vocabulary and sentence-structure challenges, so it suits learners with basic reading ability. Beginners can use dictionary tools for support or start with a bilingual edition before moving on to reading entirely in English.

Why is this book available for free?

The book is included in Project Gutenberg and is in the public domain; its copyright has expired, so the electronic edition can be obtained legally and free of charge. Project Gutenberg has been preparing public-domain e-books since the 1970s.

Do I need to know the author's background before reading?

No. This is a standalone short work that can be understood on its own. If you become interested in H. B. Fyfe afterward, looking up his life and other works can serve as supplementary background, but it is not necessary for a first reading.

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About the author

Fyfe, H. B. (Horace Bowne), 1918-1997 Author

H. B. Fyfe (Horace Bowne Fyfe, 1918–1997) is an English-language author with sixteen works held in the collection, though little is publicly known about his life or nationality. Judging from the listed titles, his writing centres on science fiction and speculative fiction, dealing with alien envoys, satellite systems, war and peace, deadly weapons, and the end of the world; titles such as The Envoy, Her, Satellite System, The Outbreak of Peace, Irresistible Weapon, and This World Must Die! suggest a preference for concise, forceful short stories that explore technology, conflict, and human destiny. The works often carry the tension and speculative flavour of Cold War-era science fiction, with tight plotting and endings that frequently turn on irony or warning. Fyfe is not a widely celebrated classic author, but his productivity and breadth of subject matter are noteworthy.