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Lavengro: The Scholar, the Gypsy, the Priest by George Borrow Originally published 1851 - (PDF 3.31Mb, 508pp)

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"Lavengro" is considered George Borrow's finest autobiographical novel. As he explains, "The principal actors in this dream, or drama, are, as you will have gathered from the title-page, a Scholar, a Gypsy, and a Priest. Should you imagine that these three form one, permit me to assure you that you are very much mistaken. Should there be something of the Gypsy manifest in the Scholar, there is certainly nothing of the Priest. With respect to the Gypsy — decidedly the most entertaining character of the three — there is certainly nothing of the Scholar or the Priest in him; and as for the Priest, though there may be something in him both of scholarship and gypsyism, neither the Scholar nor the Gypsy would feel at all flattered by being confounded with him. Many characters which may be called subordinate will be found, and it is probable that some of these characters will afford much more interest to the reader than those styled the principal. The favourites with the writer are a brave old soldier and his helpmate, an ancient gentlewoman who sold apples, and a strange kind of wandering man and his wife."

This fine eBook is presented in portrait orientation, fully-searchable and fully-printable. (508pp).

Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery by George Borrow Republished from the illustrated 1901 edition - (PDF 4.11Mb, 579pp)

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The author, in his own words: "The present is a book about Wales and Welsh matters. He who does me the honour of perusing it will be conducted to many a spot not only remarkable for picturesqueness, but for having been the scene of some extraordinary event, or the birth-place or residence of a hero or a man of genius; he will likewise be not unfrequently introduced to the genuine Welsh, and made acquainted with what they have to say about Cumro and Saxon, buying and selling, fattening hogs and poultry, Methodism and baptism, and the poor, persecuted Church of England. An account of the language of Wales will be found in the last chapter. It has many features and words in common with the Sanscrit, and many which seem peculiar to itself, or rather to the family of languages, generally called the Celtic, to which it belongs." An extraordinary linguist, George Borrow's mastery of the language of the Welsh afforded him the unique - and as yet unsurpassed - opportunity to study the people of Wales. Very little about their customs, traditions, superstitions, and way of life escaped his notice. Originally published 1861.

This fine eBook faithfully preserves the 1901 illustrated edition with its dozen or so renderings by A. S. Hartrick. The book is fully searchable and fully printable. Enjoy! (579pp, 13 illust).

The Romany Rye by George Borrow Republished from the original 1902 edition - (PDF 1.8Mb, 213pp)

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"The story of a studious young man who takes to the roads with a tinker's cart and pony. The town of Horncastle appears in The Romany Rye, but to understand it fully, one needs to read Lavengro first. He tries his hands at blacksmithing, mingles with Gypsies, pugilists and others adrift in the country, meets the tall, queenly blonde Isopel Berners, with whom he camps in a dingle, has disputes with a Jesuit priest, and after negotiating the purchase of a fine horse which he plans to sell, finds himself at Horncastle, an episode filling the last 12 chapters of The Romany Rye.

"The town was a small one, seemingly ancient, and was crowded with people and horses."

"It is here, at the horse fair, that he meets a number of shady and not so shady characters, each of whom has a story to tell, and later visits the church, where his guide reflects on events of the Civil War and the impact of Oliver Cromwell on the town. Blending lively dialogue between Gypsies, jockeys and fairground characters, with a dreamlike quality that makes it hard to distinguish fact from fancy, The Romany Rye remains a mysterious and fascinating work." (from a biography of the author by the George Borrow Society)

This fine eBook is presented in portrait orientation, fully searchable, fully printable. (345pp).

The Bible in Spain by George Borrow Republished from the original 1842 edition - (PDF 3.37Mb, 468pp)

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George Borrow's adventure in 1830s Spain "consists of a narrative of what occurred to me during a residence in that country, to which I was sent by the Bible Society, as its agent for the purpose of printing and circulating the Scriptures. It comprehends, however, certain journeys and adventures in Portugal, and leaves me at last in 'the land of the Corahai,' to which region, after having undergone considerable buffeting in Spain, I found it expedient to retire for a season." His tale is more than just a travelogue and a record of sights and scenes; the author had an exceptional ability to deal with people of all stations - and in many languages - which allowed him to learn much more about customs, beliefs and traditions than any of the other annalists of the day.

This colorful eBook faithfully preserves the 1842 first edition of The Bible in Spain and is fully-searchable and fully-printable. Enjoy! (468pp).

The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of Spain by George Borrow Republished from the revised 1846 edition - (PDF 1.6Mb, 230pp)

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Still one of the classics on the subject of Gypsy life, the author states that, "The greater part of it has been written under very peculiar circumstances, such as are not in general deemed at all favourable for literary composition: at considerable intervals, during a period of nearly five years passed in Spain - in moments snatched from more important pursuits - chiefly in ventas and posadas, whilst wandering through the country in the arduous and unthankful task of distributing the Gospel among its children."

George Borrow was a remarkable linguist. With his mastery of the Gypsy tongue, he was able to gain a perspective on this extraordinary people which has, in the past 150 years, never been surpassed. This eBook, which preserves the revised and improved 4th Edition of The Zincali includes special chapters and appendices dealing with the language and dialects of Gypsies throughout Europe, as well as verbatim translations of their religious obiesances.

Colorfully presented in portrait orientation, this eBook features footnotes which appear on the pages on which they are referred and is fully-searchable and fully-printable. (230pp).