Wizard Will, the Wonder Worker

Colonel Prentiss IngrahamProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 182K words
Chapters: 19

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.Wizard Will, the Wonder Worker by Prentiss IngrahamAuthor: Ingraham, Prentiss, 1843-1904,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jul 26, 2013

Editor's review

This is an adventure story by the American popular fiction writer Prentiss Ingraham, belonging to the category of juvenile literature and released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook. The work carries on the narrative style of late nineteenth-century American cheap popular fiction: the plot moves fast, suspense is dense, good and evil are clearly distinguished, and the protagonist resolves crises with wit and courage, making for an easy, smooth read. Its value lies more at the documentary and cultural level—it lets readers directly experience the tastes, heroic imagination, and narrative conventions of mass reading in that era, and has some reference value for those studying the history of popular literature or American popular culture. As light reading, it suits fragmented reading time; but characterization is rather stereotyped and literary depth is limited, and today's readers may also find the language and plot somewhat dated. It is advisable to read it with an eye to understanding genre literature, without demanding intellectual weight, while noting expressions that may carry the limitations of their time.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classic adventure stories and seek a light reading experience
Readers interested in late nineteenth-century American popular literature and popular culture
Students or English learners who need short English reading material for practice
Literature enthusiasts studying the narrative conventions of genre fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer serious literature and seek complex characters and intellectual depth
Readers sensitive to dated narrative conventions and expressions limited by their time
Readers who want systematic discussion of literary history rather than the original work

Reading tips

Read it as a sample of genre fiction, noting the recurring patterns of heroic figures and plot conventions.
English readers may first read through one chapter, mark unfamiliar words and period expressions, then go back and organize them.
After finishing, compare it with modern adventure novels and write down the differences in pacing and characterization.
If used for research, record the publisher's background and the structural features of serial-style narrative.

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 for children to read?

The book is classified as juvenile literature, and its plot is mainly adventure, but it was written in the late nineteenth century, so the language and some ideas bear the marks of their time. As to whether it suits children of a particular age, parents are advised to look through it first, or to read along with an adult who can offer necessary explanation.

Is the story a complete standalone book or part of a series?

The materials only show that this book is an adventure story by Ingraham and do not state whether it belongs to a series. Readers can read it as a standalone story; to learn about series information, they may consult the relevant catalog information from Project Gutenberg.

How difficult is the English roughly?

As popular reading, the sentence patterns are relatively direct, but the book was written early, so old-fashioned expressions and unfamiliar words may appear. Readers with intermediate English reading ability can make progress with a dictionary; beginners are advised to start with short chapters and proceed step by step.

Does this book have a Chinese translation?

According to the given materials, this book is an English public-domain eBook released by Project Gutenberg, and no information about a Chinese translation is mentioned. Readers who need to read in Chinese may check other publishing channels themselves; the materials for this book do not provide translation information.

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About the author

Colonel Prentiss Ingraham Author · American · 1843–1904

Prentiss Ingraham (1843–1904) was an American novelist born in Adams County, Mississippi. His early life was eventful: he served as a Confederate colonel, worked as a mercenary after the war, and traveled through Mexico, South America, and Egypt before settling in the American West, where he met Buffalo Bill Cody and worked for his Wild West show. He is known for writing some six hundred dime novels, notably the Buffalo Bill series, and often published under several pen names. The library holds three of his works, including the first issue of Beadle's Boy's Library of Sport, Story and Adventure, Buffalo Bill's Spy Trailer, and Wizard Will, the Wonder Worker. These works center on Western adventure, detective pursuit, and youthful escapades, with tense plots and brisk pacing; they typify late nineteenth-century American popular fiction, especially the dime novel, and had a considerable influence on shaping and spreading the image of the Western hero.