Walter and the Wireless

Sara Ware BassettProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 339K words
Chapters: 34

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.Walter and the Wireless by Sara Ware BassettAuthor: Bassett, Sara Ware, 1872-1968,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Dec 4, 2007

Editor's review

This juvenile novel by American author Sara Ware Bassett unfolds around wireless telegraphy, a novelty of its day. For today's readers its value lies less in plot than in its portrayal of the curiosity, experimentation, and imagination that greeted a new technology entering daily life—a light window onto early twentieth-century technological culture. The language is plain and the chapters short, making it suitable as light reading in the original English, especially for readers who want to practice extended reading with public-domain ebooks. Rather than seeking strong suspense, readers may attend to the descriptions of wireless equipment, communication methods, and details of juvenile life, which carry the strongest period flavor. Chinese readers seeking a sample of old American juvenile literature may treat it as such; those expecting a tight, thrilling adventure should adjust their expectations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners who want to practice extended reading in English and prefer short chapters
Readers interested in early wireless technology and the history of everyday technology
Teachers and students studying early twentieth-century American juvenile literature
Readers who enjoy slow-paced, slice-of-life old-fashioned juvenile stories

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong suspense or fast-paced adventure
Readers who want a Chinese translation and are unwilling to read the English original
Readers impatient with a century-old technological background and language style

Reading tips

Read the first and last chapters first to grasp the story's framework, then fill in the middle sections as interest dictates.
Keep a vocabulary notebook for words related to wireless and old-fashioned daily life.
Learn a little about the basic principles of early wireless telegraphy for a more vivid reading experience.
If time is limited, closely read the chapters that describe wireless equipment.

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 suitable as English learning material?

Fairly suitable. The language is plain, the chapters short, and the narrative pace gentle, making it good extensive reading practice for intermediate readers. However, the book contains century-old wireless telegraphy vocabulary and everyday expressions that may feel unfamiliar; reading with a dictionary and grouping new words by theme is recommended.

Do I need to know about radio technology before reading?

No systematic knowledge is needed. The story follows a boy's experiences with wireless, and readers encounter the concepts naturally as the plot unfolds. A prior grasp of the basic fact that early wireless telegraphy transmitted signals via radio waves will make it easier to understand why the characters are so fascinated by this new technology.

What are the main highlights of this book?

The highlights lie in the social atmosphere of a technology first entering daily life: people's curiosity, experimentation, and discussion around a new invention, along with details of juvenile life. It is more a small genre sketch of an era than a suspense-driven adventure, suited to relaxed, unhurried reading.

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About the author

Sara Ware Bassett Author · American · 1872–1968

Sara Ware Bassett (1872–1968) was an American author born in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1872. She taught kindergarten in public schools before beginning her writing career in 1907. Her novels are mostly set in small-town New England life, with a warm and everyday atmosphere. In addition to more than forty novels, she wrote informational books for young readers, telling the stories behind crafts and inventions such as sugar, glass, porcelain, printing, the steam engine, and wireless communication. Representative works include The Story of Sugar, The Story of Glass, and The Story of Porcelain, as well as Christopher and the Clockmakers, Steve and the Steam Engine, Paul and the Printing Press, and Walter and the Wireless. These books combine instruction with narrative interest, helping young readers understand technological change through the experiences of their characters. Public information on the details of her early education and writing career is limited.