Trailin'!

Max Brand (Frederick Schiller Faust)Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 393K words
Chapters: 40

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.Trailin'! by Max BrandAuthor: Brand, Max, 1892-1944,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 1, 2004

Editor's review

Max Brand was a major writer of American Western fiction, and this book is a representative example of his Western adventure stories. The work is notable for its fast-paced narrative and sharply drawn oppositions between characters; wilderness, horses, gunfights, and moral choices create the characteristic tension of the Western genre. For Chinese readers, it can serve both as a sample of early twentieth-century American popular literature and as an entry-level text for reading in the original English. The book is freely distributed by Project Gutenberg and easy to obtain, making it a useful supplementary text for genre-fiction research or extensive English reading. While reading, pay attention to how the author advances the plot through action description and dialogue, and to common Western narrative motifs such as courage, loyalty, and law. Note that the original is in English and contains period vocabulary; non-native English readers may wish to use a dictionary or annotated edition.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Chinese readers who enjoy American Western fiction
English majors using it as extensive reading material in genre literature
Researchers studying popular literature and Western narrative
Readers seeking free English e-books
Readers curious about early twentieth-century American popular reading tastes

Not a good fit for

Readers with weak English who cannot read the original English text
Readers who prefer serious literature and deep psychological portrayal
Readers sensitive to gunfights and violent scenes

Reading tips

Read one chapter of the original first, marking unfamiliar words and Western slang, then read through continuously
Watch Western films alongside it to appreciate the narrative rhythm and visualized scenes
Record the conflicts between characters and the motifs of law and order for thematic review

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 information, this is the English e-book of Max Brand's original work, published by Project Gutenberg in English; no Chinese translation is mentioned. Chinese readers need some English reading ability or a dictionary and annotations for support.

What is Project Gutenberg?

Project Gutenberg was the first project to provide free e-books. It was founded by Michael Hart in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire e-books and related technologies. This book is one of the free e-books released by the project and is freely available to readers.

What background knowledge is needed to read this book?

Some familiarity with the basic social background of the American Western frontier helps, such as the relationship among ranches, border towns, and lawmen. But the plot centers on adventure and character conflict, so specialized historical knowledge is not required; ordinary readers can follow the story from context.

Comments

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About the author

Max Brand (Frederick Schiller Faust) Author · American · 1892–1944

Max Brand (1892–1944), whose real name was Frederick Schiller Faust, was an American writer of Western fiction. Best known by the pen name Max Brand, he produced a large number of popular novels, including The Garden of Eden, The Rangeland Avenger, The Night Horseman, Black Jack, The Untamed, Riders of the Silences, Alcatraz, and Bull Hunter; fifteen of his works are held in this collection. His stories are mostly set on the Western frontier, with tight plots and brisk pacing, focusing on how characters act and choose in dangerous situations. Beyond Western subjects, he also created the character Dr. Kildare. In 1944 he died in Italy while serving as a war correspondent. Public information on his early education and writing career is limited, but his many popular works circulated widely among readers of his time.