Bamboo Tales

Reeves, Ira L. (Ira Louis), 1872-1939Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 131K words
Chapters: 14

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.Bamboo Tales by Ira L. ReevesAuthor: Reeves, Ira L. (Ira Louis), 1872-1939,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 27, 2008

Editor's review

Bamboo Tales is a short story collection by the American writer Ella L. Reeves (1872–1939), released as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg and categorized under American and Canadian literature. Judging from the title and the author's background, the book uses "bamboo" as an image to link its stories, with an exotic flavor and the appeal of popular narrative; it serves as a light read for understanding the landscape of early twentieth-century American popular literature. Its value lies not in grand narrative but in the flexibility that the short-story form affords: one complete story can be enjoyed on a commute, before bed, or during a journey. As a public-domain ebook, it also offers a sample for readers studying the circulation of Project Gutenberg editions and early habits of electronic text layout. It should be noted that the book is in the original English, its language bearing the marks of its era, with a narrative pace and diction at a remove from contemporary work; Chinese readers would do best to approach it with the aim of understanding cultural background and practicing English reading rather than seeking strong plot excitement. Overall, this is a small book suited to leisure reading and as a sidelight on literary history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy short story collections and want to read in fragmented time
Readers interested in early twentieth-century American popular literature and exotic subjects
Intermediate and advanced learners who want to practice English reading through original short stories
Researchers studying Project Gutenberg public-domain ebook editions and layout

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking long, continuous plots and strong suspense
Beginners with weak English who want to read modern colloquial English
Readers impatient with the diction and narrative pace of a century ago

Reading tips

Read each story independently, in any order; after finishing one, close the book and recall the key points
Mark period vocabulary and expressions while reading to build experience in reading English literature
Read alongside background material on early twentieth-century American society and culture for deeper understanding
If used for English study, read each story through first and look up words afterward to avoid frequent interruption

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?

The book is in the original English, published by Project Gutenberg. Chinese readers need some English proficiency; the diction carries early twentieth-century features, so it is best approached with the aim of understanding the literary landscape and practicing English reading.

Do I need to read it in order from beginning to end?

No. This is a short story collection; the stories are relatively independent, so you can skip around according to interest or read one a day. Reading out of order does not hinder understanding and is in fact better suited to fragmented time such as commuting or before bed.

Is this book suitable for English beginners?

Not very. The language bears the imprint of a century ago, and its sentence patterns and vocabulary are distant from contemporary English, which can frustrate beginners. It is better attempted by readers with intermediate to advanced reading ability, who may first read one story as a trial.

Comments

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About the author

Reeves, Ira L. (Ira Louis), 1872-1939 Author · 1872–1939

Ira L. Reeves (1872–1939) is an English-language author about whom little is recorded; available public information is limited, and no reliable sources confirm his nationality, education, or professional career. What is known is that he lived from 1872 to 1939, and that one work of his is held in this collection: Bamboo Tales. Judging from its title and character, the book draws on life and observations in the East or in tropical regions, presenting exotic scenes and figures in short-story form, with a narrative, anecdotal tone typical of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century English travel writing and popular storytelling. Because biographical material is scarce, the details of his life cannot be reconstructed, and his name survives mainly through this single work in bibliographies and among readers, with a correspondingly modest influence.