Vailima Letters
Vailima Letters by Robert Louis Stevenson is available here as the complete text, split into 831 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
Vailima Letters Being Correspondence Addressed by Robert Louis Stevenson to Sidney Colvin, November 1890-October 1894 by Robert Louis Stevenson. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #387.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
Vailima Letters
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 815 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
- Chapter I
- Chapter II
- Chapter III
- Chapter IV
- Chapter V
- Chapter VI
- Chapter VII
- Chapter VIII
- Chapter IX
- Chapter X
- Chapter XI
- Chapter XII
- Chapter XIII
- Chapter XIV
- Chapter XV
- Chapter XVI
- Chapter XVII
- Chapter XVIII
- Chapter XIX
- Chapter XX
- Chapter XXI
- Chapter XXII
- Chapter XXIII
- Chapter XXIV
- Chapter XXV
- Chapter XXVI
- Chapter XXVII
- Chapter XXVIII
- Chapter XXIX
- Chapter XXX
- Chapter XXXI
- Chapter XXXII
- Chapter XXXIII
- Chapter XXXIV
- Chapter XXXV
- Chapter XXXVI
- Chapter XXXVII
- Chapter XXXVIII
- Chapter XXXIX
- Chapter XL
This edition of Vailima Letters by Robert Louis Stevenson carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #387, divided into 40 chapters and 831 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 Vailima Letters in full?
The complete text of Vailima Letters is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #387 and divided into 831 sections.
This page carries the whole of Vailima Letters by Robert Louis Stevenson, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #387, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 4155 sentences across 40 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 Vailima Letters divided for reading?
Vailima Letters is presented in 40 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting Vailima Letters as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 831 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 40 chapters.
Can I hear Vailima Letters read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Vailima Letters can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of Vailima Letters 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 Vailima Letters
Common questions about reading Vailima Letters by Robert Louis Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Vailima Letters?
Yes. All 4155 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #387 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Vailima Letters is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #387, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Vailima Letters take to read?
About 346 minutes of reading across 831 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Vailima Letters section by section
How to work through Vailima Letters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Vailima Letters 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 Vailima Letters
Words and structures a reader meets early in Vailima Letters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Mountain
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Samoa
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Monday
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- November
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.