The Highwayman

Bailey, H. C. (Henry Christopher), 1878-1961Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 424K words
Chapters: 43

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.The Highwayman by H. C. BaileyAuthor: Bailey, H. C. (Henry Christopher), 1878-1961,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jan 1, 2006

Editor's review

This work is by the English author H. C. Bailey and belongs to the public-domain English literature collection, made available free of charge through Project Gutenberg, so readers can obtain the original text at no cost. Bailey has a distinctive place in early twentieth-century English popular fiction: his narrative is often brisk, his plotting decisive, and he excels at building suspense and character tension within a limited space. The title The Highwayman indicates a subject drawn from the tradition of the road robber, a theme with deep roots in English literature that offers both the excitement of adventure and, often, implicit reflection on social order and individual fate. For readers who want to understand the landscape of early twentieth-century English popular fiction or to encounter original English literature at little cost, this is a worthwhile introductory text. When reading, it is advisable to place it within the context of genre fiction, note how the author handles character motivation and plot turns, and use dictionary tools to overcome the obstacles posed by earlier English usage.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers interested in English popular fiction and adventure themes
Learners who want free original English books for extensive reading practice
Literature enthusiasts studying early twentieth-century English genre fiction
Readers who enjoy tightly plotted classical stories of moderate length

Not a good fit for

Contemporary readers who prefer modern narrative pacing and plain, simple language
Learners with weak English reading skills who need extensive annotation support
Readers expecting deep social critique or complex character psychology

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the main plot, then read again to notice character portrayal in dialogue
Keep an electronic dictionary at hand for unfamiliar words so that vocabulary difficulties do not interrupt reading
Read alongside other works in the English highwayman tradition to understand the genre's conventions
Read one or two chapters at a fixed time each day to maintain momentum, and briefly note the plot after finishing

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 in Chinese or English?

The book is in the original English, released free as an e-book by Project Gutenberg, with the language marked as English and classified under English literature. Reading it requires some English proficiency, and a dictionary or bilingual tools can help with comprehension.

What kind of project is Project Gutenberg?

Project Gutenberg is the earliest project providing free e-books. Founded by Michael Hart in 1971, it is dedicated to digitizing public-domain books for free public reading. This book is one of the public-domain e-books it has released, and its copyright status is relatively open.

Will it be very difficult to read without translation notes?

The English of early twentieth-century popular fiction is relatively plain, though some expressions and slang differ from contemporary English. It is advisable to read with an electronic dictionary; skip unfamiliar words that do not affect the main plot and prioritize reading continuity, then look them up after finishing a chapter.

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About the author

Bailey, H. C. (Henry Christopher), 1878-1961 Author

Henry Christopher Bailey (H. C. Bailey, 1878–1961) was a British writer known chiefly for detective and crime fiction. Public information about his life and education is limited, and what can be confirmed concerns mainly his works. Two of his books are held in this collection: Call Mr. Fortune and The Highwayman. The former belongs to the Mr. Fortune series, centering on an amateur detective who relies on medical reasoning, with cases often advanced through pathology, poisons, and clinical observation, showing a method that blends scientific knowledge with puzzle-solving. The latter turns to historical adventure, set against highwaymen and old England, with a brisk pace and intricate plotting. Bailey's style generally emphasizes logical exposition and dialogue, combining the readability of popular fiction with the pleasures of fair-play detection. His works circulated among detective-fiction readers in Britain and America in the first half of the twentieth century and had some influence on the medical-detective strand.