Through Apache Land

Ellis, Edward Sylvester, 1840-1916Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 347K words
Chapters: 35

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.Through Apache Land by Edward Sylvester EllisAuthor: Ellis, Edward Sylvester, 1840-1916,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Feb 27, 2010

Editor's review

Through Apache Land is a typical sample of Edward Ellis's late-19th-century boys' adventure fiction: brisk in pace and tightly plotted, it sets its young hero on the frontier and lets him grow through danger. Its value for readers is twofold. First, its genre-historical value: such works shaped how young readers in the English-speaking world then imagined the West, Native Americans, and "civilizational expansion," making them direct material for studying popular literature and colonial narrative. Second, the sheer pull of the storytelling: chases, hiding, and narrow escapes come thick and fast, making it a useful primer on the structure of old-style adventure tales. A caveat: the book's portrayal of the Apache and of frontier conflict carries clear period prejudice and stereotype. Today's readers should read it critically, as a sample of how old narratives construct the Other, not as a reliable source on Native American history. The Project Gutenberg public-domain e-book is easy to obtain and suits classroom discussion and comparative reading by fans of genre fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in late-19th-century boys' adventure fiction and the Western genre
Students and teachers studying colonial narrative and images of Native Americans in popular literature
Teachers looking for English public-domain texts for classroom discussion
Young readers who enjoy fast-paced frontier adventure

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking objective knowledge of Native American history
Readers highly sensitive to old colonial discourse and stereotypes
Mature fiction readers who prefer complex characterization and literary depth

Reading tips

Jot down the book's wording and images of Native Americans as you read, then discuss its biases together afterward.
Read it alongside works by contemporary Native American authors to contrast narrative perspectives.
Treat it as a genre specimen and focus on the structural conventions of its chase and escape scenes.
For classroom use, split into groups to discuss "who is written as dangerous and who as hero."

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 children to read directly?

It can be read, but adult accompaniment is advised. The adventure plot appeals to young readers, but the portrayal of the Apache carries period prejudice and stereotype. While reading together, explain the work's historical context and help children distinguish adventure story from real history, so they don't mistake the novel's images for fact.

Are the book's depictions of Native Americans reliable?

No. This is a late-19th-century popular adventure novel in which Native Americans mostly appear as threats or background, serving the narrative of the "frontier hero." To learn about Apache history and culture, choose Native American authors or modern ethnographic studies rather than relying on this book.

How difficult is the English?

It is an old-style boys' adventure novel: sentences are not long, but the vocabulary and narrative habits bear the marks of their era. Readers with intermediate English can finish it with a dictionary; those who only want the gist can start with genre studies or a reader's guide before tackling the original.

What is its significance in literary history?

It is one of the many boys' adventure books mass-produced in the late-19th-century English-speaking world, reflecting the popular imagination of the West, Native Americans, and expansion at the time. As a specimen of genre fiction and colonial narrative, it helps us understand how popular literature helped shape young readers' worldview, but it should not be elevated to the status of a classic.

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About the author

Ellis, Edward Sylvester, 1840-1916 Author

Edward Sylvester Ellis (1840-1916) was an American author best known for adventure and historical works for young readers. Because public information about him is limited, biographical details remain difficult to establish with certainty, yet the library holds as many as 58 of his works, indicating that he was a prolific and long-active writer. His writing often centers on frontier settlement, mountain exploration, colonial warfare, and historical figures, as seen in The Great Cattle Trail, The Riflemen of the Miami, and The Cave in the Mountain; these works are tightly plotted and emphasize action and courage, making them well suited to younger readers. He also wrote character sketches such as Thomas Jefferson, a Character Sketch and reference works such as 1000 Mythological Characters Briefly Described, reflecting a broad interest in history, mythology, and popular knowledge.