Looking Back: An Autobiography

Merrick Abner RichardsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.2

Word count: 464K words
Chapters: 47

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.Looking Back: An Autobiography by Merrick Abner RichardsonAuthor: Richardson, Merrick Abner, 1841-,Language: English, Class: CT: History: Biography, Release Date: Jul 14, 2014

Editor's review

This is an autobiography written in English. The author, Merrick Abner Richardson, was born in 1841, and the book reviews his life experiences in the first person, classified under biography. The value of an autobiography lies in allowing readers to observe the details of daily life and social atmosphere of an era through a personal perspective, rather than through macro-historical narrative. While reading, one can focus on the author's accounts of his upbringing, family relationships, and life choices, and appreciate how personal memory is organized into a coherent self-narrative. As a free Project Gutenberg e-book, it is suitable for readers interested in nineteenth-century lives and the autobiographical genre to obtain at low cost. It should be noted that this book is a recollection by a specific individual and carries subjective coloring; it should not be used directly as objective historical material. Reading it alongside background material on the period is recommended for a better understanding of the historical context of the experiences described.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century lives and the autobiographical genre
Readers who enjoy learning about the details of an era from a personal perspective
Students who need free English biographical material for extensive reading practice

Not a good fit for

Professional historical readers seeking systematic historical research material
Readers who prefer fast-paced fictional plots and lack patience for memoir narrative

Reading tips

Read the table of contents or opening chapters first to clarify the chronological framework of the author's life stages.
Jot down striking details of daily life while reading to help organize the atmosphere of the era afterward.
Pair with background material on nineteenth-century society to understand the historical context of the experiences described.

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 this autobiography mainly about?

This book is an autobiography written in the first person by Merrick Abner Richardson, reviewing his personal life experiences. Readers can see the author's accounts of his upbringing, family relationships, and life choices. It is a text of personal memory, focused on the person's life and self-narrative rather than systematic historical discussion.

What should I pay attention to when reading an autobiography?

An autobiography carries the author's subjective perspective and memory biases; its content should not be taken directly as objective historical material. When reading, distinguish personal feelings from factual statements and compare with background material on the period, so as to appreciate the narrative charm while maintaining a cautious judgment of the content.

What if the English original is difficult to read?

First read through the chapters to grasp the outline of life stages; do not look up every unfamiliar word, but prioritize understanding the main idea of each paragraph. If difficulties remain, use an e-book dictionary or read Chinese background material first as preparation, then return to the original; reading fluency will improve noticeably.

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About the author

Merrick Abner Richardson Author · 1841

Merrick Abner Richardson (born 1841) is an author about whom little is publicly known. He left behind one autobiographical work, Looking Back: An Autobiography, which is currently the only title by him in our collection. Judging from its title and genre, the book recounts his personal experiences in the first person, belonging to the tradition of autobiography common in the nineteenth-century English-speaking world, with an emphasis on recalling the past and self-examination in a plain, period-tinged style. Since reliable records of his nationality, occupation and life are lacking, his biographical details should not be conjectured; readers seeking to know him must rely mainly on the autobiography itself. On the available evidence, his writing is valuable chiefly for preserving, from a personal perspective, the memories and feelings of a particular era, and may be of use to those studying nineteenth-century autobiographical literature and social life.