Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Cover of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!"
Project Gutenberg Library B1C1

The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!"

The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" by Thomas Wallace Knox is available here as the complete text, split into 1458 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Thomas Wallace Knox39 chapters

The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" or, Life and Adventures in the Orient by Thomas Wallace Knox. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #50700.

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

Academic course · 39 chapters

Course Syllabus

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

The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!"

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

0 of 1443 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

  1. Chapter I Steamer-Life on the Atlantic 42 readings five lines each Open chapter
  2. Chapter II Scenes in Vienna--Down the Danube 73 readings five lines each Open chapter
  3. Chapter III Nearing the Orient--“Backsheesh!” 37 readings five lines each Open chapter
  4. Chapter IV Through the Crimea--in and Around Sevastopol 44 readings five lines each Open chapter
  5. Chapter V Across the Black Sea 28 readings five lines each Open chapter
  6. Chapter VI Constantinople--the City of Dogs 28 readings five lines each Open chapter
  7. Chapter VII Turkish Curiosity Shops--Sights and Scenes in the Bazaars 40 readings five lines each Open chapter
  8. Chapter VIII The Mosques--Faith and Superstitions of the Mussulmans 27 readings five lines each Open chapter
  9. Chapter IX Whirling and Howling Dervishes--Who and What They Are 30 readings five lines each Open chapter
  10. Chapter X On the Bosphorus.--Among the Isles of Greece 28 readings five lines each Open chapter
  11. Chapter XI Syra, the Marble Island.--Life at an Athenian Hotel 66 readings five lines each Open chapter
  12. Chapter XII Round About Athens.--the Country of the Brigands 65 readings five lines each Open chapter
  13. Chapter XIII Adventures in Quarantine.--Rhodes and Its Marvels 39 readings five lines each Open chapter
  14. Chapter XIV Syria, the Land of the Sun.--Dragomen, Guides, and Couriers 27 readings five lines each Open chapter
  15. Chapter XV The Groves of Lebanon.--a Night Among the Arabs 25 readings five lines each Open chapter
  16. Chapter XVI Damascus--the Garden City of the East 57 readings five lines each Open chapter
  17. Chapter XVII Traveling in a Caravan--Sights on the Way 42 readings five lines each Open chapter
  18. Chapter XVIII Adventures in the Mountains of Syria 28 readings five lines each Open chapter
  19. Chapter XIX “From Dan to Beersheba.”--Journeying Through the Holy Land 28 readings five lines each Open chapter
  20. Chapter XX In the Heart of Palestine 27 readings five lines each Open chapter
  21. Chapter XXI The Land of the Philistines.--Samaria and Its People 14 readings five lines each Open chapter
  22. Chapter XXII From Damascus to Jaffa.--Incidents of the Trip 49 readings five lines each Open chapter
  23. Chapter XXIII Among the Monks 48 readings five lines each Open chapter
  24. Chapter XXIV The Holy Sepulchre, and Shrine of the City of David 30 readings five lines each Open chapter
  25. Chapter XXV The Land of Pharaoh.--Through the Egyptian Desert 15 readings five lines each Open chapter
  26. Chapter XXVI In and Around the City of the Caliphs 19 readings five lines each Open chapter
  27. Chapter XXVII An Interview with the Khedive.--Life in the City of the Nile 47 readings five lines each Open chapter
  28. Chapter XXVIII The Bazaars of Cairo.--Egyptian Curiosity Shops 22 readings five lines each Open chapter
  29. Chapter XXIX Adventures with a Donkey.--a Day at the Races 51 readings five lines each Open chapter
  30. Chapter XXX The Great Pyramids.--in the Kings’ Burial Chambers 29 readings five lines each Open chapter
  31. Chapter XXXI A Voyage Up the Nile.--the Mysteries of Egyptian Art and Worship 52 readings five lines each Open chapter
  32. Chapter XXXII Adventures in Upper Egypt.--Fun and Frolic with the Natives 59 readings five lines each Open chapter
  33. Chapter XXXIII Luxor, the City of Giants.--Among the Mummies of Ancient Thebes 28 readings five lines each Open chapter
  34. Chapter XXXIV A Visit to a Harem in Upper Egypt.--Life Among the Nubians 26 readings five lines each Open chapter
  35. Chapter XXXV Camel Riding.--Adventures Among the Nubians 22 readings five lines each Open chapter
  36. Chapter XXXVI In the Slave-Country--Sir Samuel W. Baker’s Expedition 24 readings five lines each Open chapter
  37. Chapter XXXVII Sunset in the Orient.--Voyaging Down the Nile 72 readings five lines each Open chapter
  38. Chapter XXXVIII Winter on the Nile--the Khamseen and Its Effects--Bedouin Life 17 readings five lines each Open chapter
  39. Chapter XXXIX Last Days in Egypt 38 readings five lines each Open chapter

This edition of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" by Thomas Wallace Knox carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #50700, divided into 39 chapters and 1458 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 Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" in full?

The complete text of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #50700 and divided into 1458 sections.

This page carries the whole of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" by Thomas Wallace Knox, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #50700, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 7288 sentences across 39 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 Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" divided for reading?

The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" is presented in 39 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 1458 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 39 chapters.

Can I hear The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" 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 Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!"

Common questions about reading The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" by Thomas Wallace Knox on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!"?

Yes. All 7288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50700 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #50700, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" section by section

How to work through The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" 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 Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!"

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Leaving
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Home--our
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pilgrimage
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Begun--sights
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.