Chapter 1 of Eric's Book of Beasts is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Eric's Book of Beasts is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo. (The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side). Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease! Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
Chapter 1 of Eric's Book of Beasts is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
plural of “cartoon” — a humorous or satirical drawing published in a newspaper or magazine
From this reading “Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.”
the human act of creating
From this reading “Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!”
past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of
From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.”
a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level
From this reading “In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.”
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.”
forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage
From this reading “(The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).”
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
plural of “wonder” — the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!”
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.
In this reading “Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.”
In this reading “Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!”
In this reading “Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!”
without official authorization
In this reading “(The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).”
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 Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
a youthful male person
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).
plural of “cartoon” — a humorous or satirical drawing published in a newspaper or magazine
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!
the human act of creating
From this reading Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!
past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading (The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!
a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading (The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
time available for ease and relaxation
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!
a brief written record
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
many times at short intervals
From this reading (The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading (The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
serving as an introduction or preface
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading (The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage
From this reading (The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).
the words of something written
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading (The spelling I've carnegified; I often do this on the side).
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Prefatory Note These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy.
plural of “wonder” — the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading Here all Creation lives in peace, And therefore Wonders never Cease!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading In Holland, at the Hague, you know, Well-regulated people go To the Hotel Ozanimo.
Chapter 1 of Eric's Book of Beasts by David Starr Jordan holds 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 110 sentences of Eric's Book of Beasts, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Eric's Book of Beasts by David Starr Jordan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 Eric's Book of Beasts by David Starr Jordan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 110 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58527 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58527, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 9 minutes of reading across 22 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Eric's Book of Beasts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Eric's Book of Beasts 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 Eric's Book of Beasts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
