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Before Adam

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Before Adam is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Jack London • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Before Adam

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

The year had gone well for all of us.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVII Reading 1/38

Before Adam

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Before Adam is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

Line 2

After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

Line 3

Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

Line 4

His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

Line 5

The year had gone well for all of us.

All words in this reading · 53

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.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

After

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

alive

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The year had gone well for all of us.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

another

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

baby

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

bear

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

child

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

children

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

early

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

enough

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

failure

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

fall

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

first

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

following

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

for

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The year had gone well for all of us.

get

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

gone

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The year had gone well for all of us.

had

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

happened

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

him

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

his

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

It

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

lived

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

long

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

months

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

never

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

old

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

One

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

previous

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

Red-Eye

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

Red-Eye's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

relate

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

several

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

she

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

still

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

strange

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

Stranger

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

Swift

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

taken

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

they

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Stranger still, they had a baby several months old—Red-Eye’s first child.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

us

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The year had gone well for all of us.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

well

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The year had gone well for all of us.

wife

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading After his failure to get the Swift One, Red-Eye had taken another wife; and, strange to relate, she was still alive.

wives

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His previous wives had never lived long enough to bear him children.

year

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the early fall of the following year that it happened.

Chapter 17 of Before Adam by Jack London holds 191 sentences, grouped into 39 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 17 of Before Adam contain?

Chapter 17 holds 191 sentences of Before Adam, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Before Adam by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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.

How do I study chapter 17 of Before Adam?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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.

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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.

Questions about reading Before Adam

Common questions about reading Before Adam by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Before Adam?

Yes. All 2488 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #310 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Before Adam is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #310, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Before Adam take to read?

About 207 minutes of reading across 498 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Before Adam section by section

How to work through Before Adam section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 18 chapters of Before Adam to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Before Adam

Words and structures a reader meets early in Before Adam, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Pictures: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Before Adam; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Often: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Before Adam; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Learned: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Before Adam; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wonder: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Before Adam; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.