Red Spider, Volume 1

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 262K words
Chapters: 27

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.Red Spider, Volume 1 (of 2) by S. Baring-GouldAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 16, 2017

Editor's review

Red Spider, Volume 1 is the first half of a novel by British author S. Baring-Gould, an English-literature title in the Project Gutenberg free eBook collection. Baring-Gould was famously prolific, and his novels often blend suspense, provincial life, and group portraits of characters; this book is no exception. As a Victorian novel, its value lies in the social landscape, narrative pacing, and language habits of its time, giving it distinctive appeal for readers studying English literature or fond of classic fiction. Note that this is the first half of a two-volume work: the plot may pause before its climax, and the second volume is needed for the complete story. The electronic edition is a public-domain text, suited to fragmented reading on electronic devices and as supplementary material for English-literature courses. Because of its age, some expressions and attitudes require historical context; it is not recommended as light, modern genre entertainment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature lovers who enjoy Victorian English novels
Readers studying S. Baring-Gould's work or 19th-century British literature
English learners who need public-domain English texts for reading practice
Readers interested in classic suspense and provincial narrative

Not a good fit for

Readers who want a complete, standalone story—this is only the first half of a two-volume work
Readers who prefer fast-paced modern suspense fiction
Beginners unused to 19th-century English expression and long sentences

Reading tips

Read the second volume's description or the end notes first to understand the overall story before starting the main text.
Keep pen and paper handy to track character relationships; Victorian novels have many characters and are easy to confuse.
Look up notes on unfamiliar cultural background rather than struggling over every word.
Pair it with an audiobook or text-to-speech software to get used to the rhythm of classic English sentences.

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 a complete story?

No. This is the first volume of the two-volume Red Spider; the story is fully resolved only in the second volume. For a complete reading experience, read the second volume as well, or the plot may feel unfinished.

How difficult is the English?

It is a 19th-century English literary text, with longer sentences and more classical vocabulary than modern popular fiction. Readers with college-level English reading skills or a habit of reading classic literature will find it smoother; beginners may need notes and reference tools.

Why recommend this edition?

This is a public-domain electronic text released by Project Gutenberg, free and easy to read on various devices, suitable for readers who want low-cost access to classic English literature. The text itself is in the public domain and involves no modern copyright restrictions.

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