Chapter 1 of The book of wonders is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The book of wonders is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively. Small capitals have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS. Phrases between ~tildes~ represent side notes. ^o stands for a superscript o. s may be found at the end of this text
Chapter 1 of The book of wonders is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 typeface with thick heavy lines
From this reading “Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.”
plural of “capital” — assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading “Small capitals have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS.”
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading “Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.”
plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading “Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.”
plural of “phrase” — an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading “Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.”
in the order given
From this reading “Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.”
recorded for broadcast
From this reading “Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.”
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.
In this reading “s may be found at the end of this text”
a character having the form of an upper-case letter but the same height as lower-case letters
In this reading “Small capitals have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS.”
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 ^o stands for a superscript o.
(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 Small capitals have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Small capitals have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading s may be found at the end of this text
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading s may be found at the end of this text
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
a typeface with thick heavy lines
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
plural of “capital” — assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading Small capitals have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading s may be found at the end of this text
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ^o stands for a superscript o.
set up or found
From this reading s may be found at the end of this text
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
the literary culture
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading s may be found at the end of this text
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading Phrases between ~tildes~ represent side notes.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading ^o stands for a superscript o.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading s may be found at the end of this text
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
plural of “phrase” — an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
From this reading Phrases between ~tildes~ represent side notes.
in the order given
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading s may be found at the end of this text
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Phrases between ~tildes~ represent side notes.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Small capitals have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS.
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading ^o stands for a superscript o.
a character or symbol set or printed or written above and immediately to one side of another character
From this reading ^o stands for a superscript o.
the words of something written
From this reading s may be found at the end of this text
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading s may be found at the end of this text
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Phrases between ~tildes~ represent side notes.
recorded for broadcast
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Words, letters and phrases printed in boldface or italics in the source document have been transcribed between =equal signs= and _underscores_ respectively.
Chapter 1 of The book of wonders by Rudolph J. (Rudolph John) [Editor] Bodmer holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of The book of wonders, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The book of wonders by Rudolph J. (Rudolph John) [Editor] Bodmer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 book of wonders by Rudolph J. (Rudolph John) [Editor] Bodmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10444 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75948 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75948, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2089 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The book of wonders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The book of wonders 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 book of wonders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
