Fifty Years Ago cover

Fifty Years Ago

Rating 3.4
Word count
375K words
Chapters
38

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.Fifty Years Ago by Walter BesantAuthor: Besant, Walter, 1836-1901,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Mar 6, 2019

Editor's review

Fifty Years Ago is a historical essay by the English writer Walter Besant, reissued as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg. Besant was active in the late nineteenth century, and his writing combines a man of letters' readability with a historical observer's attention to detail. The book surveys English social life around half a century earlier, touching on daily life, customs, and the changes of the age. For readers used to Chinese historical writing, it offers a chance to look back on modern England through the eyes of someone who lived through it; the prose belongs to the Victorian essay tradition, with long sentences and carefully chosen words. Because it is an English original from an early date, it calls for some grounding in English reading and a basic knowledge of modern British history. It suits history enthusiasts as further reading, English learners as material for close reading of long essays, and anyone interested in Victorian social history for casual browsing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers interested in modern English social history and changing customs
  • Learners with intermediate English or above who want to read Victorian prose closely
  • History enthusiasts who enjoy learning about nineteenth-century English daily life from a first-hand perspective

Not a good fit for

  • Readers with weak English who need a Chinese translation
  • Historical researchers looking for systematic academic argument or extensive data
  • Casual readers who prefer light, short books

Reading tips

  1. Start with the table of contents and the opening of each chapter to grasp the range of topics, then read closely the subjects that interest you
  2. For long sentences, first identify subject and predicate, and use background material on modern British history to understand the context
  3. Read one chapter a day and take brief notes on customs and period contrasts for easy review

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

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?
It is an English original published by Project Gutenberg as a free ebook, with no Chinese translation included; some English reading ability is needed.
What historical background does the reader need?
The book deals with English social life and changing customs around the nineteenth century. A basic outline of the Victorian era and modern English society will make the reading smoother.
Is this book suitable as English-learning material?
It suits learners with some foundation who want to read long essays closely. The style is Victorian prose with long sentences and refined diction, which may challenge beginners; a dictionary and background notes are recommended.

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About the author

Walter Besant (1836–1901) was an English author whose writings span fiction, history, and works on the city, with 23 titles held in this collection. Judging from the works listed here, his writing is clearly centred on the local history and urban memory of London. He produced a two-volume Mediæval London, covering its historical and social as well as its ecclesiastical aspects, and period-based surveys such as London in the Time of the Stuarts and Early London: Prehistoric, Roman, Saxon and Norman. He also devoted separate books to particular districts—Westminster, East London, and London City—and wrote The History of London. These works are marked by solid local antiquarian research and a wealth of anecdote, and will appeal to readers interested in London's urban development and British social and cultural history. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

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