The Secret Toll

Thorne, PaulProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.0

Word count: 281K words
Chapters: 29

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 Secret Toll by Mabel Thorne and Paul ThorneAuthor: Thorne, Paul,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Sep 10, 2011

Editor's review

This is an English novel co-authored by Mabel Thorne and Paul Thorne, classified under American and Canadian literature and released as a public-domain ebook via Project Gutenberg. Judging by its format and categorization, it belongs to early popular narrative works and serves as a sample for understanding the landscape of early 20th-century English popular fiction. Its reading value lies mainly in the readability of the text itself and its period atmosphere: the plot progression, character setup, and narrative language all bear the hallmarks of mass literature of that era, offering literature-history enthusiasts a concrete textual experience. As a public-domain ebook, it is readily accessible and suitable as light reading or as supplementary material for studying the history of popular fiction publishing. Readers should not expect profound literary experimentation or discussion of contemporary issues; treating it as a period text and focusing on its narrative appeal and language style, while consulting background materials on the authors and publication context, will yield a fuller appreciation of its place.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature enthusiasts interested in early 20th-century English popular fiction
Readers studying American or Canadian popular literature and publishing history
Learners seeking public-domain English texts for language reading practice
Readers who enjoy plot-driven old novels and prefer a light reading experience

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting contemporary literary innovation or profound thought experiments
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or bilingual reading
Readers lacking patience for the style and pacing of early popular fiction

Reading tips

Start by learning about the authors and the publication era before entering the text; this makes it easier to grasp its period tone.
Treat it as light reading and proceed chapter by chapter without insisting on close reading of every sentence, preserving the sense of narrative continuity.
If using it for language learning, select passages with more dialogue for close reading and vocabulary work.
After reading, compare it with other public-domain popular novels of the same period to observe commonalities in subject matter and narrative conventions.

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 type of novel is this book?

Judging by its categorization, this book is an early novel work in the American and Canadian literature category, co-authored by Mabel Thorne and Paul Thorne. The materials do not provide a detailed plot summary; readers may regard it as an early 20th-century English popular narrative text, focusing on its plot setup, character relationships, and period language style rather than on experimental qualities in the contemporary literary sense.

There is no Chinese translation. Is it difficult to read?

This is an English public-domain text whose language bears period characteristics, posing some difficulty for non-native readers. It is advisable to attempt it only with intermediate or higher English reading proficiency, using dictionary tools and a segmented reading approach. If the purpose is language learning, start with chapters that have clearer dialogue and narration, gradually adapting to older forms of expression.

Is a public-domain ebook suitable for academic citation?

It can be cited as supplementary material for close textual reading and popular literature research, but version information must be noted. When citing, specify the authors, title, publishing platform Project Gutenberg, and year of release, and verify page numbers or paragraph locations in the original text. For serious academic research, it is advisable to also consult print editions or authoritative literary history sources for cross-verification.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Thorne, Paul Author

Paul Thorne is an author about whom very little public information is available. At present, two works are known to exist under his name: The Secret Toll and The Sheridan Road Mystery. Since no reliable records of his birth and death dates, nationality, or educational background have been found, it is not possible to give further details about his life, nor to confirm his usual book categories. Judging from the titles of these two works alone, they appear to carry elements of suspense, mystery, and detective fiction, seemingly centering on hidden events or puzzling cases, and belonging to genre writing that draws readers through narrative suspense. Such works typically sustain tension by layering puzzles and gradually revealing them, with characters often pursuing the truth while lacking full information. Thorne's writing style and influence cannot yet be assessed for lack of sufficient material, and how his works have been received by readers likewise awaits more public information. This introduction is based only on the existing entries in the database and is offered for readers' reference.