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Cover of The Black Star: A Detective Story
Project Gutenberg Library B1C1

The Black Star: A Detective Story

The Black Star: A Detective Story by Johnston McCulley is available here as the complete text, split into 979 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Johnston McCulley36 chapters

The Black Star: A Detective Story by Johnston McCulley. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #35833.

36 chaptersComplete chronicle
Five linesIn each reading
US EnglishNarration and vocabulary
Open Chapter I

Academic course · 36 chapters

Course Syllabus

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

The Black Star: A Detective Story

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

0 of 965 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

  1. Chapter I 33 readings five lines each Open chapter
  2. Chapter II The Black Star 19 readings five lines each Open chapter
  3. Chapter III Into the Pit 42 readings five lines each Open chapter
  4. Chapter IV Rogue for a Day 29 readings five lines each Open chapter
  5. Chapter V Muggs on Guard 18 readings five lines each Open chapter
  6. Chapter VI An Unprofitable Afternoon 24 readings five lines each Open chapter
  7. Chapter VII Identical Orders 22 readings five lines each Open chapter
  8. Chapter VIII The Police Get a Tip 29 readings five lines each Open chapter
  9. Chapter IX “Chickens Come Home to Roost” 38 readings five lines each Open chapter
  10. Chapter X Caught in a Net 21 readings five lines each Open chapter
  11. Chapter XI Close Quarters 25 readings five lines each Open chapter
  12. Chapter XII At the Charity Ball 33 readings five lines each Open chapter
  13. Chapter XIII Muggs—great Little Man 26 readings five lines each Open chapter
  14. Chapter XIV Unexpected News 8 readings five lines each Open chapter
  15. Chapter XV The Challenge 32 readings five lines each Open chapter
  16. Chapter XVI A Nocturnal Visit 36 readings five lines each Open chapter
  17. Chapter XVII Interrupted Conversation 24 readings five lines each Open chapter
  18. Chapter XVIII Mysteries 42 readings five lines each Open chapter
  19. Chapter XIX Suspicion 44 readings five lines each Open chapter
  20. Chapter XX The Voice on the Wire 38 readings five lines each Open chapter
  21. Chapter XXI 37 readings five lines each Open chapter
  22. Chapter XXII 20 readings five lines each Open chapter
  23. Chapter XXIII Into the Vault 15 readings five lines each Open chapter
  24. Chapter XXIV How It Ended 29 readings five lines each Open chapter
  25. Chapter XXV Shadowed by Three 8 readings five lines each Open chapter
  26. Chapter XXVI A Man of Mystery 32 readings five lines each Open chapter
  27. Chapter XXVII In Black Star’s Hands 40 readings five lines each Open chapter
  28. Chapter XXVIII The Police Launch 15 readings five lines each Open chapter
  29. Chapter XXIX Black Star Takes a Trick 20 readings five lines each Open chapter
  30. Chapter XXX Muggs in Action 24 readings five lines each Open chapter
  31. Chapter XXXI In the Bank 22 readings five lines each Open chapter
  32. Chapter XXXII A Narrow Escape 23 readings five lines each Open chapter
  33. Chapter XXXIII Puzzled Police 30 readings five lines each Open chapter
  34. Chapter XXXIV What Happened to the Chief 21 readings five lines each Open chapter
  35. Chapter XXXV An Unexpected Blow 17 readings five lines each Open chapter
  36. Chapter XXXVI In Custody 29 readings five lines each Open chapter

This edition of The Black Star: A Detective Story by Johnston McCulley carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #35833, divided into 36 chapters and 979 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.

Where can I read The Black Star: A Detective Story in full?

The complete text of The Black Star: A Detective Story is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #35833 and divided into 979 sections.

This page carries the whole of The Black Star: A Detective Story by Johnston McCulley, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #35833, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 4892 sentences across 36 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 Star: A Detective Story divided for reading?

The Black Star: A Detective Story is presented in 36 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting The Black Star: A Detective Story as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 979 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 sections are gathered into 36 chapters.

Can I hear The Black Star: A Detective Story read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Black Star: A Detective Story can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of The Black Star: A Detective Story 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 Star: A Detective Story

Common questions about reading The Black Star: A Detective Story by Johnston McCulley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Black Star: A Detective Story?

Yes. All 4892 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35833 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Black Star: A Detective Story is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #35833, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Black Star: A Detective Story take to read?

About 407 minutes of reading across 979 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Black Star: A Detective Story section by section

How to work through The Black Star: A Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Black Star: A Detective Story 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 Black Star: A Detective Story

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Black Star: A Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chelsea
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Black Star: A Detective Story; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
House
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Black Star: A Detective Story; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Seventh
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Black Star: A Detective Story; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Avenue
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Black Star: A Detective Story; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.