Western Worthies

Jeans, J. Stephen (James Stephen), 1846-1913Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 374K words
Chapters: 38

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.Western Worthies by J. Stephen JeansAuthor: Jeans, J. Stephen (James Stephen), 1846-1913,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Oct 2, 2006

Editor's review

This is a collection of biographical sketches of Western figures by the British author and economic commentator J. Stephen Jeans, a public-domain e-book from Project Gutenberg. Jeans wrote extensively on commerce and on notable individuals, and his "Western worthies" are not mere lists of life facts: he places each figure within the social, commercial, and public life of the age, in a style characteristic of late-Victorian biographical criticism—attentive to achievement, character, and influence. For Chinese readers its value lies chiefly in two things: it is a sample of nineteenth-century English-language taste in judging public figures, showing how people of the time chose whom to deem "worthy of a biography" and how they phrased praise and blame; and its prose is on the whole plain, making it a suitable bridge to reading original English-language nonfiction. It is best treated as a historical source rather than a modern scholarly biography, and its period prejudices and value judgments should be read with caution. The e-book is easy to obtain, suits reading in short segments, and works well alongside British biographical criticism of the same period.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Victorian-era British biographical criticism and public discourse
English learners seeking original English-language nonfiction for reading practice
Students of literary and cultural history interested in nineteenth-century English-language biographical writing and evaluation
Teachers and students needing a public-domain English text for classroom excerpts or translation practice

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting modern scholarly standards, detailed notes, and references
Readers wanting a Chinese translation or an introductory guide
Readers who prefer rigorously structured thematic histories and dislike essayistic character sketches

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and the opening of each piece first; choose figures by interest rather than reading straight through.
After each piece, jot down in a few English sentences the author's evaluative bent and period prejudices.
Mark unfamiliar names and events as you go and look them up afterward, so as not to break the reading rhythm.
Read alongside other public-domain British biographical criticism to compare selection and standards of praise and blame.

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 a complete Chinese translation?

No. It is an English public-domain e-book released by Project Gutenberg, with the text in English. Chinese readers need some English reading ability or supporting tools and reference materials.

Can it be read as a serious historical biography?

Not entirely. It is closer to late-Victorian biographical criticism, emphasizing evaluation and achievement, and lacks the annotation standards and source criticism of modern biography. It is best used as a documentary, contextual source.

Can I read it without a background in British history?

You can, but names and events will pose obstacles. It helps to first grasp the basic outline of nineteenth-century British public life, and to treat the text as a window onto how people of the time judged character rather than as a systematic history textbook.

Any practical advice for reading the electronic edition?

Public-domain texts are easy to search and excerpt; use keywords to locate figures. Read piece by piece and take brief notes to avoid fatigue from long uninterrupted stretches.

Comments

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About the author

Jeans, J. Stephen (James Stephen), 1846-1913 Author

J. Stephen (James Stephen) Jeans (1846–1913) was a British author; public information on his life and education is limited. Two of his works are held in the collection: Waterways and Water Transport in Different Countries and Western Worthies. The former examines waterways and water transport in various countries and belongs to the fields of transport history and shipping economics, focusing on comparative descriptions of waterway conditions and modes of transport. The latter focuses on Western figures and has the character of biography and collective portraiture. The two works differ considerably in subject, yet together reflect the author's attention to historical fact and practical institutions; his writing tends toward the organization of material and plain narration rather than theoretical argument. Only these two works can currently be confirmed, and his style and influence require further evidence, so no excessive inferences are made.