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Cover of Biographical Essays
Project Gutenberg Library B1C1

Biographical Essays

Biographical Essays by Thomas De Quincey is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 522 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Biographical Essays by Thomas De Quincey. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #6314.

6 chaptersComplete chronicle
Five linesIn each reading
US EnglishNarration and vocabulary

Academic course · 6 chapters

Course Syllabus

This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.

Biographical Essays

Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.

0 of 519 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

This edition of Biographical Essays by Thomas De Quincey carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #6314, divided into 6 chapters and 522 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.

Where can I read Biographical Essays in full?

The complete text of Biographical Essays is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #6314 and divided into 522 sections.

This page carries the whole of Biographical Essays by Thomas De Quincey, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #6314, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 2608 sentences across 6 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.

How is Biographical Essays divided for reading?

Biographical Essays is presented in 6 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting Biographical Essays as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 522 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 6 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.

Can I hear Biographical Essays read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Biographical Essays can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of Biographical Essays can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.

Questions about reading Biographical Essays

Common questions about reading Biographical Essays by Thomas De Quincey on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Biographical Essays?

Yes. All 2608 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6314 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Biographical Essays is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #6314, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Biographical Essays take to read?

About 217 minutes of reading across 522 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Biographical Essays section by section

How to work through Biographical Essays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 6 chapters of Biographical Essays to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Biographical Essays

Words and structures a reader meets early in Biographical Essays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Quincey's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Biographical Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Writings
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Biographical Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Confessions
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Biographical Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
English
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Biographical Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.