Waiting for Daylight

Henry Major TomlinsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 225K words
Chapters: 23

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.Waiting for Daylight by H. M. TomlinsonAuthor: Tomlinson, H. M. (Henry Major), 1873-1958,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 12, 2008

Editor's review

Waiting for Daylight is a collection of essays by the English writer H. M. Tomlinson, made available as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg. Tomlinson is known for his travel writing and essays: his prose is quiet and closely observant, often drawing reflections on life and the times from everyday scenes and things seen on journeys. This book is best entered slowly: it does not rely on strong plot momentum but wins through the flow of tone, imagery, and thought. Readers willing to slow down will feel a rhythm somewhere between a diary and a reverie, as if sitting beside an experienced writer during the hours of waiting for daybreak. For readers curious about early twentieth-century English prose who want a light reading load, this is gentle and rewarding material. The electronic edition makes it easy to open a paragraph or two at any time; there is no need to finish it in one sitting.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy British essays and lyrical prose
Learners who want to practice close reading of English through short texts
People seeking quiet, slow-paced reading
Readers interested in early twentieth-century English literature

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for strong plots and fast-paced narrative
Readers hoping for systematic historical or social analysis
Beginner learners who prefer modern colloquial English

Reading tips

Read just one short section at a time; after closing the book, recall the images, then go on to the next passage.
Keep a notebook, copy out lines you like, and write down your associations as a reading journal.
Read in a quiet hour of early morning or late evening, to match the book's title and its rhythm.

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 the book about?

Judging by the title and Tomlinson's characteristic style, the work centers on waiting, observation, and reflection, recording scenes and states of mind in essay form rather than telling a complete story. Readers should approach it as a collection of essays.

Can I understand it without background knowledge?

Yes. The work does not presuppose historical events or specialized knowledge; its atmosphere comes mainly from the writing itself. Some familiarity with the social context of early twentieth-century England helps in catching certain tones, but it is not required.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It suits intermediate and above learners as close-reading material. Tomlinson's sentences are attentive to rhythm and imagery, and his vocabulary is fairly literary; analyzing them sentence by sentence can sharpen one's sense of the language, but it is not a beginner's primer.

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About the author

Henry Major Tomlinson Author · British · 1873–1958

Henry Major Tomlinson (1873–1958) was a British novelist, essayist and travel writer, born in the dockland of London's East End. He worked as a journalist, travelled along the Amazon, and reported from the First World War; these experiences provided important material for his writing. His works describe London, the sea, the tropics and the futility of war with natural feeling, and his representative books include The Sea and the Jungle, London River, Waiting for Daylight and Old Junk. His calm, evocative prose often reflects on modern civilisation through travel and personal memory, and his style has often been compared with that of Thoreau and Emerson. Four of his works are held in the collection; public information is limited, so this note focuses on his subjects and style.