Fairy Gold

William Wymark JacobsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 22K words
Chapters: 3

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.Fairy Gold by W. W. JacobsAuthor: Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark), 1863-1943,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jan 1, 2004

Editor's review

Fairy Gold is likewise by the English writer W. W. Jacobs and has been prepared as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Jacobs's work typically depicts ordinary people's desires, misunderstandings, and small schemes in a light tone, and this book is no exception; the title's "fairy gold" hints at a comedy of manners revolving around an unexpected windfall. Its value lies in lively dialogue and ironic humor presented in brief compass, making it suitable for reading in fragments during commutes or before bed. As a public-domain resource, it costs nothing to obtain and serves as another entry point to Jacobs's work; it can also be read alongside his other short stories to observe his habitual narrative patterns and comic techniques. Note that the book is in the original English, and the electronic edition lacks an introduction and notes; readers should have a dictionary at hand and keep a relaxed frame of mind.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have read Jacobs and want to explore further
English-language readers who enjoy light comic short stories of manners
Office workers doing extensive English reading in fragments of time
Reading enthusiasts who collect public-domain eBook resources

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer reading in Chinese or feel daunted by English originals
Readers seeking profound themes and serious literary analysis
Students who need systematic notes and teaching materials

Reading tips

Read one or two stories at a time, then retell why the characters miscalculated, to train comprehension.
Copy out dialogues from the book and read them aloud to appreciate the tone and subtlety of British humor.
Read alongside the author's other short stories and note recurring themes and situations.
Jot down unfamiliar words and idioms as you read, then review them together after finishing the book.

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

What is the relationship between Fairy Gold and Good Intentions?

Both are works by W. W. Jacobs, both are released free by Project Gutenberg, and they are different works by the same author. Both are short and similar in style and can be read in comparison, but they are not volumes of the same book, and their plots are not connected.

Is this book suitable for English beginners?

The language reflects early twentieth-century usage and colloquial dialogue, which poses some difficulty for beginners. Those with basic grammar and a certain vocabulary can read slowly with a dictionary; complete beginners are advised to start with graded readers and then try the original.

Why does the electronic edition have no notes or introduction?

Project Gutenberg mainly provides free electronic texts of public-domain works, usually preserving the original content without adding modern editors' notes, introductions, or teaching materials. Readers who need background knowledge can consult author information or relevant literary histories on their own.

Can it be used as classroom reading material?

As a public-domain resource, the book can be freely obtained and distributed and is suitable as extracurricular extensive reading or interest-based reading material. However, because it lacks notes and exercise design, teachers using it in class need to supply background introduction, vocabulary lists, and discussion questions themselves.

Comments

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About the author

William Wymark Jacobs Author · British · 1863–1943

William Wymark Jacobs (1863–1943) was a British short-story writer, born in London in 1863 and died there in 1943. In his early years he lived around the Thames docks and was familiar with the lives of sailors and dockworkers, which led him to write a great many humorous sea stories, often in a light and witty tone. His best-known work, The Monkey's Paw, is a classic horror short story included in The Lady of the Barge (1902); noted for its tight suspense and sudden twists, it is still widely anthologized in horror collections. The library holds 109 of his works, including The Lady of the Barge and Others, Ship's Company, A Tiger's Skin, Captains All, and Night Watches; his common category is inspirational growth. Public information is limited and details of his life are largely unavailable, yet his fiction is distinctive in subject, blending humor with horror, and has had a lasting influence on later short-story writing.