Bealby: A Holiday cover

Bealby: A Holiday

Rating 3.3
Word count
393K words
Chapters
40

Tags

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.Bealby; A Holiday by H. G. WellsAuthor: Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jun 16, 2019

Editor's review

Bealby: A Holiday is a light, humorous novel by H. G. Wells, telling the story of a boy named Bealby who stumbles into a series of chaotic adventures during his holiday. Wells is known for science fiction and social satire, and this work shows his skill at comedy: vivid characterization, brisk pacing, and gentle mockery of English country-house life and class relations. As a free Project Gutenberg e-book, it is easy to access and approachable, making it a good introduction to Wells's non-science-fiction side. Readers can enjoy its witty rhythm in short commutes or afternoon reading sessions, or set it against Wells's social novels to appreciate his blend of humor and critique. Note that this is the original English text, with early twentieth-century usage; non-native readers may want a dictionary at hand.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers who enjoy Wells and want to explore his non-science-fiction work
  • Literature lovers who prefer British humor and light comedy plots
  • English learners looking for accessible original English texts for reading practice
  • Readers interested in early twentieth-century English social life

Not a good fit for

  • Readers expecting Wellsian science fiction or social prophecy
  • Readers who want a Chinese translation rather than the English original
  • Readers who prefer serious, profound themes or complex narrative structures

Reading tips

  1. Read a chapter or two first to get a feel for the language rhythm and humor before deciding whether to read the whole book closely.
  2. Don't look up every unfamiliar expression; follow the plot and character relationships instead.
  3. Read it alongside Wells's social satires to compare his comic technique with his critical writing.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40

FAQ

Is this book science fiction?
No. It is a light, humorous novel by Wells about a boy's adventures and mishaps during a holiday. It differs from science-fiction works such as The Time Machine and is closer to social comedy.
Is the original English difficult to read?
Overall it is moderately difficult, with early twentieth-century usage, though the sentences are not overly long. Readers with general English reading ability can finish it, using a dictionary for unfamiliar words.
What are the features of this edition?
This edition is published by Project Gutenberg as a free e-book. It is easy to obtain with no purchase cost, and the text is the original English, suitable for reading on electronic devices.

Comments

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About the author

H. G. Wells (Herbert George, 1866–1946) was a renowned British author best known for his science fiction and socially engaged works. The collection holds 76 of his works, including The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Red Room, and The Door in the Wall, and Other Stories, as well as the historical survey The Outline of History. His science fiction often starts from scientific premises and explores technological loss of control, human weakness, and social crisis, with bold imagination and clear narration; The Outline of History reflects his approachable, well-structured writing for general readers. Public information is limited, so biographical details are not elaborated here, but his works show a mastery of novels, short stories, and popular history, and his influence on later science fiction is profound.

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