The Red True Story Book is a public-domain classic of history by Unknown.
The complete text is on this page and the chapter pages below — all 62 chapters, about 139,630 words (~12 hours of reading), free to read online with no signup.
Short, fact-checked Wunder courses related to The Red True Story Book — free to read, no signup. Or browse every course.
THE RED TRUE STORY BOOK
* * * * *
WORKS BY ANDREW LANG.
COCK LANE AND COMMON SENSE: a Series of Papers Crown 8vo. 6s. 6d. net.
BAN and ARRIERE BAN: a Rally of Fugitive Rhymes. Crown 8vo. 5s. net.
ST. ANDREWS. With 8 Plates and 24 Illustrations in the Text by T. Hodge. 8vo. 15s. net.
HOMER AND THE EPIC. Crown 8vo. 9s. net.
CUSTOM AND MYTH: Studies of Early Usage and Belief. With 15 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.
BALLADS OF BOOKS. Edited by ANDREW LANG. Fcp. 8vo. 6s.
LETTERS TO DEAD AUTHORS. Fcp. 8vo. 2s. 6d. net.
BOOKS AND BOOKMEN. With 2 Coloured Plates and 17 Illustrations. Fcp. 8vo. 2s. 6d. net.
OLD FRIENDS. Fcp. 8vo. 2s. 6d. net.
LETTERS ON LITERATURE. Fcp. 8vo. 2s. 6d. net.
GRASS OF PARNASSUS. Fcp. 8vo. 2s. 6d. net.
ANGLING SKETCHES. With 3 Etchings and numerous Illustrations by W. G. Burn-Murdoch. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.
THE BLUE FAIRY BOOK. Edited by ANDREW LANG. With 134 Illustrations by H. J. Ford and G. P. Jacomb Hood. Crown 8vo. 6s.
THE RED FAIRY BOOK. Edited by ANDREW LANG. With 100 Illustrations by H. J. Ford and Lancelot Speed. Crown 8vo. 6s.
THE GREEN FAIRY BOOK. Edited by ANDREW LANG. With 99 Illustrations by H. J. Ford. Crown 8vo. 6s.
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. Edited by ANDREW LANG. With 104 Illustrations by H. J. Ford. Crown 8vo. 6s.
THE BLUE POETRY BOOK. Edited by ANDREW LANG. With 100 Illustrations by H. J. Ford and Lancelot Speed. Crown 8vo. 6s.
SCHOOL EDITION, without Illustrations. Fcp. 8vo. 2s. 6d.
SPECIAL EDITION, printed on Indian paper. With Notes, but without Illustrations. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d.
THE TRUE STORY BOOK. Edited by ANDREW LANG. With 66 Illustrations by H. J. Ford, Lucien Davis, Lancelot Speed, and L. Bogle. Crown 8vo. 6s.
LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO. London and New York.
* * * * *
THE RED TRUE STORY BOOK
Edited by
ANDREW LANG
With Numerous Illustrations by Henry J. Ford
London Longmans, Green, and Co. and New York 1895
All rights reserved
INTRODUCTION
The Red True Story Book needs no long Introduction. The Editor, in presenting The Blue True Story Book, apologised for offering tales so much less thrilling and romantic than the legends of the Fairies, but he added that even real facts were, sometimes, curious and interesting. Next year he promises something quite as true as History, and quite as entertaining as Fairies!
For this book, Mr. Rider Haggard has kindly prepared a narrative of 'Wilson's Last Fight,' by aid of conversations with Mr. Burnham, the gallant American scout. But Mr. Haggard found, while writing his chapter, that Mr. Burnham had already told the story in an 'Interview' published by the Westminster Gazette. The courtesy of the proprietor of that journal, and of Mr. Burnham, has permitted Mr. Haggard to incorporate the already printed narrative with his own matter.
'The Life and Death of Joan the Maid' is by the Editor, who has used M. Quicherat's Proces (five volumes, published for the Historical Society of France), with M. Quicherat's other researches. He has also used M. Wallon's Biography, the works of Father Ayroles, S.J., the Jeanne d'Arc a Domremy of M. Simeon Luce, the works of M. Sepet, of Michelet, of Henri Martin, and, generally, all printed documents to which he has had access. Of unprinted contemporary matter perhaps none is known to exist, except the Venetian Correspondence, now being prepared for publication by Father Ayroles.
'How the Bass was held for King James' is by the Editor, mainly from Blackadder's Life.
'The Crowning of Ines de Castro' is by Mrs. Lang, from Schaefer. 'Orthon,' from Froissart, 'Gustavus Vasa,' 'Monsieur de Bayard's Duel' (Brantome), are by the same lady; also 'Gaston de Foix,' from Froissart, and 'The White Man,' from Mile. Aisse's Letters.
Mrs. McCunn has told the story of the Prince's Scottish Campaign, from the contemporary histories of the Rising of 1745, contemporary tracts, The Lyon in Mourning, Chambers, Scott, Maxwell of Kirkconnel, and other sources.
The short Sagas are translated from the Icelandic by the Rev. W. C. Green, translator of Egil Skalagrim's Saga.
Mr. S. R. Crockett, Author of The Raiders, told the tales of 'The Bull of Earlstoun' and 'Grisell Baillie.'
Miss May Kendall and Mrs. Bovill are responsible for the seafarings and shipwrecks; the Australian adventures are by Mrs. Bovill.
Miss Minnie Wright compiled 'The Conquest of Peru,' from Prescott's celebrated History.
Miss Agnes Repplier, that famed essayist of America, wrote the tale of Molly Pitcher.
'The Adventures of General Marbot' are from the translation of his Autobiography by Mr. Butler.
With this information the Editor leaves the book to children, assuring them that the stories are true, except perhaps that queer tale of 'Orthon'; and some of the Sagas also may have been a little altered from the real facts before the Icelanders became familiar with writing.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Wilson's Last Fight 1
The Life and Death of Joan the Maid 19
How the Bass was held for King James 92
The Crowning of Ines de Castro 99
The Story of Orthon 105
How Gustavus Vasa won his Kingdom 114
Monsieur de Bayard's Duel 122
Story of Gudbrand of the Dales 125
Sir Richard Grenville 132
The Story of Molly Pitcher 137
The Voyages, Dangerous Adventures, and Imminent Escapes of Captain Richard Falconer 141
Marbot's March 150
Eylau. The Mare Lisette 162
How Marbot crossed the Danube 175
The piteous Death of Gaston, Son of the Count of Foix 186
Rolf Stake 191
The Wreck of the 'Wager' 195
Peter Williamson 213
A Wonderful Voyage 226
The Pitcairn Islanders 238
A Relation of three years' Suffering of Robert Everard upon the Island of Assada, near Madagascar, in a Voyage to India, in the year 1686 247
The Fight at Svolder Island 252
The Death of Hacon the Good 261
Prince Charlie's War 265
The Burke and Wills Exploring Expedition 324
The Story of Emund 346
The Man in White 354
The Adventures of 'the Bull of Earlstoun' 358
The Story of Grisell Baillie's Sheep's Head 366
The Conquest of Peru 371
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PLATES
'In the Borghese gardens practised that royal game of golf' Frontispiece
Just as his arm was poised I fired To face p. 10
Joan in church " 24
Joan rides to Chinon " 38
Joan tells the King his secret " 42
The English Archers betrayed by the Stag " 64
The Coronation of Charles VII " 68
'Instantly a gust of wind blew her off the rock into the sea' " 92
'One man . . . stalked about the deck and flourished a cutlass . . . shouting that he was "king of the country"' " 196
The Indian threatens Peter Williamson " 214
'Another party of Indians arrived, bringing twenty scalps and three prisoners' " 218
The savages attack the boat " 230
'The madman dwelt alone' " 242
King Olaf leaps overboard " 256
'In the Borghese gardens practised that royal game of golf " 266
'I will, though not another man in the Highlands should draw a sword' " 272
'He galloped up the streets of Edinburgh shouting, "Victory! Victory!"' " 294
Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo Huaco, the Children of the Sun, come from Lake Titicaca to govern and civilise the tribes of Peru " 374
In one cave the soldiers found vases of pure gold, etc. " 412
WOODCUTS IN TEXT
PAGE
One of them lifted his assegai 17
'The Fairy Tree' 20
Joan hears the Voice 28
Robert thinks Joan crazed 34
'Sir, this is ill done of you' 37
'In a better language than yours,' said Joan 46
'Lead him to the Cross!' cried she 50
'Then spurred she her horse . . . and put out the flame' 53
Joan is wounded by the arrow 57
'Now arose a dispute among the captains' 61
One Englishman at least died well 63
Joan challenges the English to sally forth 73
'Go she would not till she had taken that town' 79
Joan Captured 83
Joan at Beaurevoir 85
'The burned Joan the Maid' 89
The Bass attacked by the frigates 97
Ines pleads for her life 101
'I will send you a champion whom you will fear more than you fear me' 107
Orthon's last appearance 112
Gustavus leaves school for good! 115
'Lazy loon! Have you no work to do?' 119
'Surrender, Don Alonzo, or you are a dead man!' 123
'In the following night Gudbrand dreamed a dream' 127
The destruction of the idol 130
'Still he cried to his men, "Fight on, fight on!"' 134
Molly takes her husband's place 139
'As we approached we saw the pirate sinking' 143
Falconer knocks down a bird 145
Falconer returns to his companions 148
'Then, drawing their swords, they dashed at the rest' 152
Marbot's fight with the Carabineers in the alley 157
Lisette catches the thief in the stable 164
'I regarded myself as a horseman who is trying to win a steeplechase' 166
Continue reading The Red True Story Book free in the Wunder reader →
The Wunder Library · Learn anything · Home — complete public-domain books, free to read, with narration and illustrations. The Red True Story Book is in the public domain.