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First and Last
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Belloc, Hilaire, 1870-1953
- Language:
- English
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource : multiple file formats
- Place of Publication:
- Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,
- Summary:
- "First and Last" by Hilaire Belloc is a collection of essays written during the early 20th century. The text explores various themes and observations, using the sea, personal anecdotes, and reflective commentary as its backdrop. With an emphasis on human experiences, the essays delve into topics ranging from historical reflections to the intricacies of everyday life, weaving in humor and philosophical insights. The opening of "First and Last" begins with the metaphor of "weighing anchor," likening this nautical venture to significant life changes and the embrace of freedom. Belloc reflects on the various methods of weighing anchor, painting a picture of maritime life and drawing parallels to human experiences. He introduces a character, Frocot, a strong man from the regiment who has had ghostly encounters that bring forth the themes of perception and reality. As the narrative progresses, the tone oscillates between playful digressions about practical matters like weighing anchor and deeper meditations on the human condition, making it clear that Belloc aims to entertain while also provoking thought in his readers about life's complexities and the essence of human adventures. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
- Contents:
- On weighing anchor
- The Reveillon
- On cheeses
- The captain of industry
- The inventor
- The views of England
- The lunatic
- The inheritance of humour
- The old gentleman's opinions
- On historical evidence
- The absence of the past
- St. Patrick
- The lost things
- On the reading of history
- The victory
- Reality
- On the decline of the book
- José Maria de Heredia
- Normandy and the Normans
- The old things
- The Battle of Hastings
- The Roman roads in Picardy
- The reward of letters
- The eye-openers
- The public
- On entries
- Companions of travel
- On the sources of rivers
- On error
- The great sight
- The decline of a state
- On past greatness
- Mr. the duke: the man of Malplaquet
- The game of cards
- "King Lear"
- The excursion
- The tide
- On a great wind
- The letter
- The regret
- The end of the world.
- Credits:
- Tonya Allen, Eric Eldred, Charles Franks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
- Notes:
- Reading ease score: 69.5 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
- Release date is 2005-01-01
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