The Vanishing Point

Dawson, Coningsby, 1883-1959Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 454K words
Chapters: 46

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 Vanishing Point by Coningsby DawsonAuthor: Dawson, Coningsby, 1883-1959,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 19, 2015

Editor's review

The Vanishing Point is a novel by Canadian-born author Coningsby Dawson (1883–1959), now available as a free eBook from Project Gutenberg. Dawson was active in the early twentieth century, and his work often bears the marks of its era along with a spirit of narrative experimentation. The title itself is evocative: a vanishing point can mean the point of disappearance in visual perspective, or by extension the threshold at which a life, a memory, or a thing fades away. As a public-domain eBook, its value lies less in contemporary bestseller packaging than in accessibility and the text itself. Read it as a sample of early twentieth-century English-language fiction: notice how narrative perspective, character fate, and period atmosphere relate. Being a free electronic edition, it suits reading on an e-reader or tablet in short sessions, and suits readers interested in Project Gutenberg and early eBook culture as a collectible read. Overall, it is a book to savor slowly rather than one driven by plot.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in early twentieth-century English-language fiction
Enthusiasts of Project Gutenberg and public-domain eBooks
Readers who enjoy slow-paced, image-driven narrative
English learners who need free original English texts

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking fast-paced genre fiction with strong plotting
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or bilingual edition
Readers expecting contemporary-style critical introductions and annotations

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to get a feel for the narrative tone, then decide whether to read the whole book.
Read alongside background material on the author's life and early twentieth-century English literature.
When reading on an electronic device, use the annotation function to note appearances of the "vanishing point" image.
If the English is difficult, skim chapter summaries first, then return to the original text for close 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 in Chinese or English?

According to the source, the language is English, and the book is published by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook. The available material contains no information about a Chinese translation, so it is assumed to be read in the original English.

What is Project Gutenberg?

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, founded by Michael Hart in 1971; his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. This book is published by the project and is freely available public-domain material.

What background do I need to read this book?

A reasonable command of English is enough. This is an early twentieth-century English novel whose sentence patterns and vocabulary carry the marks of its time; readers should be able to read English prose with some fluency and may use a dictionary or annotation tools as needed.

Comments

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About the author

Dawson, Coningsby, 1883-1959 Author

Coningsby Dawson (1883–1959) was a writer best known for his novels and wartime writing; public information about his life and nationality is limited, and 15 of his works are currently held in the collection. His subject matter is notably varied: works such as The Test of Scarlet: A Romance of Reality are wartime tales with a romantic coloring, while Murder Point: A Tale of Keewatin is a suspense story set in the wilderness. Christmas Outside of Eden reveals his interest in religious and allegorical themes, and Slaves of Freedom and The Garden Without Walls turn to social and human questions. The letter collections Carry On: Letters in War-Time and Out To Win: The Story of America in France record wartime experiences in a direct and affecting tone. Works such as The Little House reflect his gentle, lyrical narrative style.