Far-away Stories

Locke, William John, 1863-1930Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 338K words
Chapters: 34

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. Far-away Stories by William John Locke. Author: Locke, William John, 1863-1930. Language: English. Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature. Release Date: Nov 18, 2015

Editor's review

Far-away Stories is a short story collection by the English writer William John Locke, available as a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg and classified under English literature. Locke is known for a light, witty narrative style tinged with sentiment and humor, and the short-story format suits fragmented reading: each piece stands alone and is short enough to finish on a commute or before bed. The "far-away" in the title suggests both exotic geographical settings and a distance in emotion and memory; readers may note the differences in setting and tone across the stories. As a public-domain original text, the book has no modern introduction or notes, so some cultural allusions and period diction require readers to look them up themselves. Overall, it is a lightweight entry point for understanding early twentieth-century popular English short fiction, rather than for readers seeking deep social critique or experimental narrative. If you have read Locke's novels, this collection fills in the picture of his short-form writing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy early twentieth-century English short stories and prefer a light, humorous narrative style
English learners who want fragmented reading on a commute or before bed
Independent readers interested in public-domain English literature who are willing to look up background themselves
Fans who have read Locke's novels and want to see his short-form writing

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong social critique or modernist experimental narrative; the style here is popular rather than literary
Beginners who need modern notes, introductions, and detailed background
Readers who prefer long, continuous plots and dislike the jumpy reading of a short-story collection

Reading tips

Read each story independently rather than straight through; pause briefly after each before moving to the next
Note the differences in setting and narrative tone across stories, and jot down favorite pieces and why
Mark period diction or cultural allusions and look them up after finishing a story to avoid breaking the rhythm
Read alongside other early twentieth-century English short-story collections to see what popular fiction has in common

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 collection suitable for English beginners?

Not really for readers starting from zero. This is the public-domain English original; early twentieth-century vocabulary and syntax differ from modern English, and there are no notes. It suits readers with at least intermediate reading ability who are willing to use a dictionary; beginners should start with retellings or bilingual editions.

Are the stories connected, and do I need to read them in order?

The book is a short-story collection, and the pieces are generally standalone, so order is not required. Readers can pick freely by length or title interest, read a few to get a feel for the style, then decide whether to read the whole book.

Why are there no introduction or notes?

The book comes from Project Gutenberg, a public-domain eBook project whose goal is to provide free original texts; it usually does not include modern scholarly introductions, notes, or background research. Readers need to supply the author's biography and period context themselves or consult other sources alongside the text.

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About the author

Locke, William John, 1863-1930 Author

William John Locke (1863–1930) was a British novelist, with 23 of his works held in this collection. His representative works include The Belovéd Vagabond, The Mountebank, The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol, Septimus, The Rough Road, The White Dove, The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne: a Novel, and Jaffery. Public information about his life is limited, so this entry offers only a brief account based on the works in the collection and the clues they provide. Judging from these titles and the character of the works, Locke's novels are largely character-centered, with brisk plots that often carry a romantic and humorous tone, blending vagabondage, adventure, and social observation, and creating many vividly drawn figures whose fortunes rise and fall. His works found a readership in the early twentieth century, and some were adapted for the stage and screen, leaving a mark on popular literature and general reading.