Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Cover of The Amateur Cracksman
Project Gutenberg Library B1C1

The Amateur Cracksman

The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 716 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #706.

17 chaptersComplete chronicle
Five linesIn each reading
US EnglishNarration and vocabulary

Academic course · 17 chapters

Course Syllabus

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

The Amateur Cracksman

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

0 of 710 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

This edition of The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #706, divided into 17 chapters and 716 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 The Amateur Cracksman in full?

The complete text of The Amateur Cracksman is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #706 and divided into 716 sections.

This page carries the whole of The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #706, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 3578 sentences across 17 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 The Amateur Cracksman divided for reading?

The Amateur Cracksman is presented in 17 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting The Amateur Cracksman as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 716 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 17 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 The Amateur Cracksman read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Amateur Cracksman can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of The Amateur Cracksman 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 The Amateur Cracksman

Common questions about reading The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Amateur Cracksman?

Yes. All 3578 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #706 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Amateur Cracksman is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #706, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Amateur Cracksman take to read?

About 298 minutes of reading across 716 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Amateur Cracksman section by section

How to work through The Amateur Cracksman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Amateur Cracksman 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 The Amateur Cracksman

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Amateur Cracksman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Half-past
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Amateur Cracksman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Twelve
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Amateur Cracksman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Returned
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Amateur Cracksman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Albany
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Amateur Cracksman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.