Wanted—A Match Maker

Ford, Paul Leicester, 1865-1902Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 10 words
Chapters: 1

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.Wanted—A Match Maker by Paul Leicester FordAuthor: Ford, Paul Leicester, 1865-1902,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Dec 9, 2004

Editor's review

This work comes from the hand of the American author Paul Leicester Ford and belongs to the tradition of American popular fiction of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. With a light narrative touch the author lays out the plot, building the story around the bringing together of people and the arranging of romances; it has the flavor of a comedy of manners, with lively language and witty dialogue, and is short in length yet brisk in pace. As a public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg, it has a low barrier to entry and suits being read in installments during commutes, travel, or spare moments; readers can both get a sense of American popular literature from a century ago and observe the social customs and views on marriage and love of the time through its character interactions. For readers new to English public-domain fiction who want an easy entry point, it is a light and friendly choice; for those studying the history of American literature or nineteenth-century society and culture, it can also serve as supplementary corroborating material. Note that this edition is an English-language original ebook, not a Chinese translation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Casual readers who want to use spare moments to read English public-domain fiction
Literature enthusiasts interested in late nineteenth-century American popular fiction
Students of literary history researching themes of marriage and love and comedy of manners
Language learners building up reading volume from short English works

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping for a Chinese translation
Readers expecting profound thought or serious literary analysis
Readers accustomed to long, complex narratives and seeking dramatic tension

Reading tips

First read through the whole book to grasp the plot direction, then go back to dialogue-heavy passages to appreciate the characters' tone.
Jot down unfamiliar period expressions as you go and look them up together after finishing a chapter, so as not to break the rhythm.
Read in chapter-by-chapter installments during commutes or before bed, one or two chapters at a time, keeping it relaxed.
After finishing, summarize the changes in the main characters' relationships in a few sentences to check whether you have grasped the narrative thread.

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 edition is an English-language original ebook titled Wanted—A Match Maker, released by Project Gutenberg; it is not a Chinese translation. Readers with ordinary English can read it with dictionary tools, and the difficulty is roughly that of popular fiction.

How long is this book, and how difficult is it to read?

The work is a popular novel of no great length, with linear narration, abundant dialogue, and mostly everyday vocabulary; overall difficulty is not high. It suits being read in installments over a few days and also works as an introductory reader for English public-domain books.

What background knowledge is needed before reading?

It is enough to know that the author was active in America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; the work itself is popular comedy of manners and does not depend on specialized historical knowledge. A slight familiarity with the courtship and social customs of the time will make reading smoother.

Is it suitable for reading on electronic devices?

As a Project Gutenberg ebook, it is presented as plain text and is suitable for opening on phones, tablets, or e-readers, and is also convenient for copying text to look up words. It is advisable to adjust font size and line spacing in advance to reduce fatigue during long reading sessions.

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About the author

Ford, Paul Leicester, 1865-1902 Author

Paul Leicester Ford (1865–1902) was an American author and editor of historical documents. Public information about his life is limited, but the six works held in the collection give a rough outline of his writing: he produced both fiction and biography and historical works. Among his novels, Janice Meredith is set against the American Revolution, while Wanted—A Match Maker and The Honorable Peter Stirling deal with the social customs and human relations of their time; The Great K. & A. Robbery has an element of popular adventure, and The Story of an Untold Love leans toward emotional narrative. The non-fiction The True George Washington reflects his interest in the nation's founding figures and historical sources. His writing often combines historical settings with popular storytelling for general readers, in a plain and readable style.