A Modern Chronicle — Complete

Winston ChurchillProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 925K words
Chapters: 93

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.A Modern Chronicle — Complete by Winston ChurchillAuthor: Churchill, Winston, 1871-1947,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Oct 19, 2004

Editor's review

This is the complete edition of A Modern Chronicle, gathering the text originally issued in eight volumes into a single book and sparing readers the trouble of tracking down and piecing together each volume. The author, Winston Churchill, is not the British statesman of the same name but an American novelist, and the work is classed under American and Canadian literature. The complete edition's chief value lies in the continuity of plot and character: emotions and foreshadowing that tend to break off when reading volume by volume flow uninterrupted through the whole book. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, it suits low-cost reading across devices and serves as a source text for studying the publishing forms of early twentieth-century American fiction. There is no need to read quickly; focus instead on how the characters' relationships evolve and how the era is presented. For a course or reading group, the complete edition makes it easier to keep everyone on the same schedule than separate volumes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who want to read an American public-domain novel in full
Facilitators of reading groups or courses who need a unified text
Enthusiasts studying Project Gutenberg and early eBooks

Not a good fit for

Light readers who want only short pieces and are unwilling to commit to a long work
Beginners who need modern annotations and an introduction

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to sort out the characters, then move into the main story.
Use the eBook's bookmark function to mark key turning points for easy revisiting.
For research, compare with the volume-by-volume edition to observe differences in narrative pacing.

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 the author of this book Churchill, the British Prime Minister?

No. The Winston Churchill here (1871–1947) is an American novelist, not the British statesman, though they share a name. The metadata classes his work under American and Canadian literature, so there is no need to read it against the statesman's life.

What makes the complete edition better than the volume-by-volume edition?

The complete edition gathers the eight volumes into one book, so plot and character threads stay connected; you need not hunt for and stitch together each volume, and emotions and foreshadowing are less likely to break off. The volume edition is better for studying the serial publication format, while the complete edition is better for everyday reading and for keeping a reading group on the same schedule.

This is a public-domain book. What should I keep in mind while reading?

Public-domain electronic texts usually lack modern editorial notes and an introduction, and some spellings or formatting bear the marks of their time. It helps to fill in background information yourself as you read; when you meet unfamiliar expressions, judge from context first and do not let a few words stall your overall progress.

What is a good way to read this long novel?

Set a daily reading amount by chapters, and after each stretch summarize the characters' movements in a few sentences so threads do not pile up. On an e-reader, make good use of bookmarks and highlights and add brief marks at important turning points; reviewing them after finishing gives you a quick grasp of the whole.

Comments

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About the author

Winston Churchill Author · American · 1871–1947

Winston Churchill (1871–1947) was a bestselling American novelist. Born in St. Louis and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he died in Florida in 1947. A prolific writer, he is represented here by 64 works. He is best known for historical and political novels that weave real historical settings and political issues into the lives of individuals, with solid plotting and characters marked by a strong sense of their era. His representative works include Richard Carvel, The Crisis, and The Crossing, as well as Mr. Crewe's Career, Coniston, The Inside of the Cup, and The Celebrity. His fiction often engages with social change and political life, and holds a place in American popular historical fiction. Public information on his early life and literary career is limited; this introduction is based mainly on the key facts of his life and an overview of his works.