John Brown: A Retrospect

Roe, Alfred S. (Alfred Seelye), 1844-1917Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 48K words
Chapters: 5

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.John Brown: A Retrospect by Alfred S. RoeAuthor: Roe, Alfred S. (Alfred Seelye), 1844-1917,Language: English, Class: E300: History: America: Revolution to the Civil War (1783-1861), Release Date: Feb 12, 2009

Editor's review

John Brown: A Retrospect by Alfred S. Roe is a historical discussion of the American abolitionist John Brown, released as an e-book by Project Gutenberg and classified among historical documents from the American Revolution to the eve of the Civil War. Its value lies in its retrospective view of Brown and related events, offering readers an entry point into the background of nineteenth-century American slavery controversies and the North-South conflict. As a public-domain e-book, it is easy to obtain and search for free, and is suitable as supplementary material for history students and readers interested in the pre-Civil War period. Note that the book was written long ago, and its style and stance reflect the habits of its time; it is not a modern scholarly monograph and lacks new sources and critical notes from contemporary historiography. Readers should compare it with other sources rather than treating it as the sole authoritative account. The book is in English, so some knowledge of English and historical background is needed.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying American history and the abolitionist movement and pre-Civil War period
Students who need English primary sources for coursework or research projects
Nonfiction readers interested in nineteenth-century American social controversies
Libraries and teachers who want free public-domain historical texts

Not a good fit for

Readers with limited English who need a Chinese translation
Those expecting a modern scholarly survey and the latest research
Readers who want only popular biography and avoid historical discussion

Reading tips

Learn the basic timeline of John Brown's raid before reading, so the early prose style does not confuse you.
Mark the author's evaluative statements as you read, distinguishing factual narrative from personal stance.
Read alongside a modern American history textbook to check what the book selects and omits.
After finishing, write a hundred-word summary of the author's overall attitude toward Brown.

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 a complete biography of John Brown?

Judging from the title and length, this is a retrospective discussion rather than a detailed biography, focusing on an assessment of Brown and related events rather than a year-by-year life. For a full biography, find a modern scholarly work; this book is better as supplementary material.

Are the views in the book objective?

The book was written in an earlier period and carries the language habits and stance of its time; it is not neutral research under modern scholarly standards. Note the author's praise and blame and compare with contemporary historiography to form your own judgment rather than citing it as settled fact.

Can I read it without a background in American history?

You can, but it will be difficult. It is advisable to learn first about nineteenth-century American slavery controversies, the Kansas conflict, and the eve of the Civil War; otherwise names, places, and events will be hard to follow. Reading long English sentences is also required.

Comments

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About the author

Roe, Alfred S. (Alfred Seelye), 1844-1917 Author · American · 1844–1917

Alfred S. Roe (1844–1917) was an American author and Civil War veteran. He lived from 1844 to 1917 and experienced the American Civil War as a Union soldier. After the war he devoted himself to preserving the historical memory of the units that fought, writing The Thirty-Ninth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, 1862–1865 and John Brown: A Retrospect. The former chronicles the regiment from its formation to its mustering out, reflecting the documentary style of a veteran historian and focusing on combat details and soldiers' daily lives; the latter offers a retrospective on the life and actions of the abolitionist John Brown. Roe's writing is marked by a firsthand perspective and local military history, providing primary material for the study of Massachusetts units during the Civil War and of the John Brown episode. Public information on his life and work is limited.