The Letter of the Contract
The Letter of the Contract by Basil King is available here as the complete text, split into 559 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
The Letter of the Contract by Basil King. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #20443.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
The Letter of the Contract
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 555 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of The Letter of the Contract by Basil King carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #20443, divided into 7 chapters and 559 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 Letter of the Contract in full?
The complete text of The Letter of the Contract is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #20443 and divided into 559 sections.
This page carries the whole of The Letter of the Contract by Basil King, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #20443, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 2791 sentences across 7 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 Letter of the Contract divided for reading?
The Letter of the Contract is presented in 7 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting The Letter of the Contract as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 559 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 7 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 Letter of the Contract read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Letter of the Contract can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of The Letter of the Contract 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 Letter of the Contract
Common questions about reading The Letter of the Contract by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Letter of the Contract?
Yes. All 2791 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20443 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Letter of the Contract is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #20443, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Letter of the Contract take to read?
About 232 minutes of reading across 559 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Letter of the Contract section by section
How to work through The Letter of the Contract section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Letter of the Contract 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 Letter of the Contract
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Letter of the Contract, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Strange
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letter of the Contract; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Think
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letter of the Contract; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Finishing
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letter of the Contract; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Coffee
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letter of the Contract; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.