Chapter 1 of A Book of Burlesques is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Book of Burlesques is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Published at the Borzoi . New York . by Alfred . A . Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print. To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
Chapter 1 of A Book of Burlesques is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading “New York . by Alfred .”
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading “Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.”
third-person singular of “include” — have as a part, be made up out of
From this reading “Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.”
inflected form of “omit” — prevent from being included or considered or accepted
From this reading “To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.”
the text appearing in a book, newspaper, or other printed publication
From this reading “Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.”
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading “Published at the Borzoi .”
plural of “sketch” — preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading “To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.”
small or little relative to something else
From this reading “To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A .
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading New York . by Alfred .
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Published at the Borzoi .
the past participle of “be”
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
tall fast-moving dog breed
From this reading Published at the Borzoi .
showing who or what does the action
From this reading New York . by Alfred .
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
third-person singular of “include” — have as a part, be made up out of
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
engage in
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading New York . by Alfred .
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
inflected form of “omit” — prevent from being included or considered or accepted
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
the text appearing in a book, newspaper, or other printed publication
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading Published at the Borzoi .
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
plural of “sketch” — preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
small or little relative to something else
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Knopf The present edition includes some epigrams from "A Little Book in C Major," now out of print.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Published at the Borzoi .
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To make room for them several of the smaller sketches in the first edition have been omitted.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading New York . by Alfred .
Chapter 1 of A Book of Burlesques by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 434 sentences of A Book of Burlesques, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Book of Burlesques by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Book of Burlesques by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2153 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22145 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22145, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 179 minutes of reading across 431 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Book of Burlesques section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of A Book of Burlesques to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Book of Burlesques, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
