The Black Bag
The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance is available here as the complete text, split into 1145 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #9779.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
The Black Bag
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 1138 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
- Chapter I Chapter 1
- Chapter II Chapter 2
- Chapter III Chapter 3
- Chapter IV Chapter 4
- Chapter V Chapter 5
- Chapter VI Chapter 6
- Chapter VII Chapter 7
- Chapter VIII Chapter 8
- Chapter IX Chapter 9
- Chapter X Chapter 10
- Chapter XI Chapter 11
- Chapter XII Chapter 12
- Chapter XIII Chapter 13
- Chapter XIV Chapter 14
This edition of The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #9779, divided into 14 chapters and 1145 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 Black Bag in full?
The complete text of The Black Bag is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #9779 and divided into 1145 sections.
This page carries the whole of The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #9779, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 5724 sentences across 14 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 Black Bag divided for reading?
The Black Bag is presented in 14 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting The Black Bag as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 1145 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 14 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 Black Bag read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Black Bag can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of The Black Bag 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 Black Bag
Common questions about reading The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Black Bag?
Yes. All 5724 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9779 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Black Bag is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #9779, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Black Bag take to read?
About 477 minutes of reading across 1145 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Black Bag section by section
How to work through The Black Bag section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Black Bag to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in The Black Bag
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Black Bag, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Permit
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Black Bag; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Introduce
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Black Bag; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Friend
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Black Bag; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Awaiting
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Black Bag; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.