Some Eccentrics & a Woman

Lewis MelvilleProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 323K words
Chapters: 33

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. Some Eccentrics & a Woman by Lewis Melville. Author: Melville, Lewis, 1874-1932. Language: English. Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe. Release Date: Dec 4, 2015.

Editor's review

Some Eccentrics & a Woman is a work by Lewis Melville, classified by Project Gutenberg under DA—general history of Great Britain, Ireland, and Central Europe—indicating that its content leans toward historical character accounts rather than fiction. "Eccentrics" in the title signals a focus on odd and distinctive figures, while "a Woman" suggests that one female character or subject runs through the book. Melville was active in the early twentieth century and often wrote literary anecdotes and sketches of historical figures; this book continues that essayistic approach, with a flexible structure suited to reading in sections. Readers interested in British social history and biographical writing may find it a light diversion into the oddities of a particular era; those expecting systematic historical argument or full-length biography may find the material scattered. As an English public-domain ebook, it requires some English proficiency, and reading one figure's chapter at a time is recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers interested in British historical figures and anecdotes
Readers who enjoy essayistic character sketches that can be read in sections
Literary enthusiasts studying early twentieth-century British biographical writing
Casual readers accustomed to public-domain English ebooks

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic British history or a textbook
Readers who read only Chinese and cannot read the English original
Readers expecting a complete long-form biography or a continuous narrative

Reading tips

Read one or two figure chapters at a time to avoid fatigue from the scattered material.
Jot down each figure's historical context while reading to better understand the circumstances behind the "eccentric" behavior.
For research purposes, cross-check with British social history sources to verify and supplement the information on the figures.

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 novel or a historical character account?

Judging from Project Gutenberg's DA classification (general history of Great Britain, Ireland, and Central Europe) and the title, the book is closer to accounts of historical figures and anecdotes than to fiction; the original text is the final reference.

Who is the "a Woman" in the title?

The available material does not give the woman's specific identity or life story; consult the original text. Readers are advised to note, in the relevant chapters, how the author places this woman in relation to the other eccentrics.

Is this book suitable as an introduction to British history?

Not very. It leans toward character anecdotes and sketches, and the material is scattered, lacking a systematic historical framework. As an introduction, start with a general history and use this book as supplementary entertaining reading.

Comments

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About the author

Lewis Melville Author · English · 1874–1932

Lewis Melville (1874–1932) was a British biographer born in London as Lewis Saul Benjamin. He began his career as an actor before turning to writing, and is best known for his studies of Thackeray and his editions of Thackeray's works. Melville excelled at portraying figures through letters, diaries, and everyday detail. His two-volume Farmer George describes the private life of George III, and his other works include Life and Letters of John Gay and Some Eccentrics & a Woman, dealing with figures such as John Gay, Nell Gwyn, and Beau Brummell. Four of his works are held in this collection; classification information is unavailable, and public sources are limited. His writing focuses on British historical figures and literary anecdote, in a plain style grounded in documentary research, offering readable insight into eighteenth- and nineteenth-century English social life.