Chapter 1 of The Indian Fairy Book is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Indian Fairy Book is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
INDIAN FAIRY BOOK. FROM THE ORIGINAL LEGENDS. CORNELIUS MATHEWS. With Illustrations by John McLenan. ENGRAVED BY A. V. S. ANTHONY.
Chapter 1 of The Indian Fairy Book is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading “ENGRAVED BY A. V. S. ANTHONY.”
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading “INDIAN FAIRY BOOK.”
cut or impressed into a surface
From this reading “ENGRAVED BY A. V. S. ANTHONY.”
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “INDIAN FAIRY BOOK.”
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “With Illustrations by John McLenan.”
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading “INDIAN FAIRY BOOK.”
plural of “legend” — a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
From this reading “FROM THE ORIGINAL LEGENDS.”
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading “FROM THE ORIGINAL LEGENDS.”
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 ENGRAVED BY A. V. S. ANTHONY.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading ENGRAVED BY A. V. S. ANTHONY.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading INDIAN FAIRY BOOK.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading With Illustrations by John McLenan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CORNELIUS MATHEWS.
cut or impressed into a surface
From this reading ENGRAVED BY A. V. S. ANTHONY.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading INDIAN FAIRY BOOK.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading FROM THE ORIGINAL LEGENDS.
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading With Illustrations by John McLenan.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading INDIAN FAIRY BOOK.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading With Illustrations by John McLenan.
plural of “legend” — a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
From this reading FROM THE ORIGINAL LEGENDS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CORNELIUS MATHEWS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With Illustrations by John McLenan.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading FROM THE ORIGINAL LEGENDS.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading ENGRAVED BY A. V. S. ANTHONY.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FROM THE ORIGINAL LEGENDS.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading ENGRAVED BY A. V. S. ANTHONY.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With Illustrations by John McLenan.
Chapter 1 of The Indian Fairy Book by Cornelius Mathews holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of The Indian Fairy Book, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Indian Fairy Book by Cornelius Mathews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Indian Fairy Book by Cornelius Mathews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3440 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22248 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22248, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 286 minutes of reading across 688 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Indian Fairy Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Indian Fairy Book 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 Indian Fairy Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
