Chapter 1 of Balsamo, the Magician is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Balsamo, the Magician is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SUNSET SERIES. By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars. January 15, 1894. Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter. Balsamo, The Magician.
Chapter 1 of Balsamo, the Magician is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/4 · 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.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “January 15, 1894.”
A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.
From this reading “Balsamo, The Magician.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading “By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.”
for each
From this reading “By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.”
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading “Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.”
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading “THE SUNSET SERIES.”
a payment for consecutive issues of a newspaper or magazine for a given period of time
From this reading “By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.”
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading “THE SUNSET SERIES.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
a local branch where postal services are available
In this reading “Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.”
by the year; every year (usually with reference to a sum of money paid or received)
In this reading “By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.”
In this reading “By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.”
In this reading “By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading January 15, 1894.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading January 15, 1894.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Balsamo, The Magician.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading January 15, 1894.
A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.
From this reading Balsamo, The Magician.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.
for each
From this reading By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.
of inferior status or quality
From this reading Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading THE SUNSET SERIES.
a payment for consecutive issues of a newspaper or magazine for a given period of time
From this reading By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading THE SUNSET SERIES.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SUNSET SERIES.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading By Subscription, per Year, Nine Dollars.
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 Entered at the New York Post Office as second-class matter.
Chapter 1 of Balsamo, the Magician by Alexandre Dumas holds 23 sentences, grouped into 5 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 23 sentences of Balsamo, the Magician, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Balsamo, the Magician by Alexandre Dumas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 23 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 Balsamo, the Magician by Alexandre Dumas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45822 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45822, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 524 minutes of reading across 1260 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Balsamo, the Magician section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Balsamo, the Magician 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 Balsamo, the Magician, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
