William Nelson: A Memoir

Sir Daniel WilsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.2

Word count: 328K 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.William Nelson: A Memoir by Sir Daniel WilsonAuthor: Wilson, Daniel, Sir, 1816-1892,Language: English, Class: Z: Bibliography, Library science, Release Date: May 30, 2016

Editor's review

This is a biographical memoir of William Nelson written by Sir Daniel Wilson, a public-domain reprinted e-book. Its value lies not in thrilling narrative but in showing how nineteenth-century biography was written and what prose style it used: the author, writing as a contemporary, organizes the subject's life with restraint, and the arrangement of materials bears clear marks of its era. For readers studying the evolution of biographical form or the intellectual networks of the Victorian period, this small book can serve as a plain primary text; for general readers it is more like a side window onto how people of the time commemorated a respected peer. When reading, do not expect plot momentum; instead notice which deeds the author chooses, in what tone he evaluates the subject, and how the memoir genre balances public and private. It is best read slowly in short sections in a quiet setting, and rewards readers who bring some background knowledge of nineteenth-century British society and academic life.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century British biography and the memoir genre
Students of Victorian intellectual networks and academic settings
Readers who enjoy slow reading of public-domain English texts and period prose
Humanities students who need to understand how biographical source materials are organized

Not a good fit for

General fiction readers expecting strong plot and fast pacing
Beginners who need modern vernacular or detailed annotations
Researchers seeking a complete, source-critical account of the subject's life

Reading tips

Start with the table of contents and the first few pages to grasp the author's framework and tone.
Keep pen and paper to note recurring names and events so as to clarify relationships.
Read one or two chapters at a time, then retell the main points in your own words.
Read alongside background material on nineteenth-century British social history.

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 biography?

It is a memoir-style biography written by Sir Daniel Wilson, recounting the life and deeds of William Nelson; it is non-fiction, not a novel.

How difficult is the English?

The text is nineteenth-century English, with long sentences and fairly formal diction; overall it is moderately to fairly difficult. Readers with some English reading ability and familiarity with classical prose will find it easier to enter.

Do I need to know the subject's background in advance?

Systematic study is not necessary, but some prior knowledge of nineteenth-century British society and academic life will make it easier to understand the author's evaluative restraint and selection of materials.

Comments

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About the author

Sir Daniel Wilson Author · Scottish-Canadian · 1816–1892

Sir Daniel Wilson (1816–1892) was a Scottish-Canadian archaeologist, ethnologist and educator. Born in Edinburgh in 1816, he published The Archæology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland in 1851, a work that introduced the word "prehistoric" into English and holds pioneering significance in the history of archaeology. In 1853 he went to teach at the University of Toronto, where he worked for many years and later served as president; he was knighted in 1888 and died in Toronto in 1892. His research covered prehistoric humanity and ethnography, and his other representative works include Prehistoric Man and The Lost Atlantis and Other Ethnographic Studies, as well as the biographical memoir William Nelson: A Memoir.