Chapter 1 of The Autobiography of a Thief is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Autobiography of a Thief is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. The Autobiography of a Thief. Recorded by HUTCHINS HAPGOOD Author of "The Spirit of the Ghetto," etc. Entered at the Library of Congress, Washington, U. S. A. Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England.
Chapter 1 of The Autobiography of a Thief is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/7 · 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.
a biography of yourself
From this reading “The Autobiography of a Thief.”
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading “Entered at the Library of Congress, Washington, U. S. A.”
past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of
From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.”
formerly the restricted quarter of many European cities in which Jews were required to live
From this reading “Recorded by HUTCHINS HAPGOOD Author of "The Spirit of the Ghetto," etc.”
United States educator who was president of the University of Chicago (1899-1977)
From this reading “Recorded by HUTCHINS HAPGOOD Author of "The Spirit of the Ghetto," etc.”
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.”
plural of “stationer” — a merchant who sells writing materials and office supplies
From this reading “Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England.”
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
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.
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 The Autobiography of a Thief.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Entered at the Library of Congress, Washington, U. S. A.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Recorded by HUTCHINS HAPGOOD Author of "The Spirit of the Ghetto," etc.
a biography of yourself
From this reading The Autobiography of a Thief.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading Entered at the Library of Congress, Washington, U. S. A.
past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Entered at the Library of Congress, Washington, U. S. A.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Recorded by HUTCHINS HAPGOOD Author of "The Spirit of the Ghetto," etc.
formerly the restricted quarter of many European cities in which Jews were required to live
From this reading Recorded by HUTCHINS HAPGOOD Author of "The Spirit of the Ghetto," etc.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Recorded by HUTCHINS HAPGOOD Author of "The Spirit of the Ghetto," etc.
United States educator who was president of the University of Chicago (1899-1977)
From this reading Recorded by HUTCHINS HAPGOOD Author of "The Spirit of the Ghetto," etc.
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_.
a room where books are kept
From this reading Entered at the Library of Congress, Washington, U. S. A.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Autobiography of a Thief.
set down or registered in a permanent form especially on film or tape for reproduction
From this reading Recorded by HUTCHINS HAPGOOD Author of "The Spirit of the Ghetto," etc.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Entered at the Library of Congress, Washington, U. S. A.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading Recorded by HUTCHINS HAPGOOD Author of "The Spirit of the Ghetto," etc.
plural of “stationer” — a merchant who sells writing materials and office supplies
From this reading Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England.
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 The Autobiography of a Thief.
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading The Autobiography of a Thief.
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading Entered at the Library of Congress, Washington, U. S. A.
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading Entered at the Library of Congress, Washington, U. S. A.
Chapter 1 of The Autobiography of a Thief by Hutchins Hapgood holds 37 sentences, grouped into 8 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 37 sentences of The Autobiography of a Thief, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Autobiography of a Thief by Hutchins Hapgood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 37 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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 The Autobiography of a Thief by Hutchins Hapgood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3709 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45169 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45169, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 309 minutes of reading across 742 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Autobiography of a Thief section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Autobiography of a Thief 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 The Autobiography of a Thief, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
