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This is an electronic edition of the complete book complemented by author biography and illustrations.-The book was designed for optimal navigation on the Kindle, PDA, Smartphone, and other electronic readers. It is formatted to display on all electronic devices including the Kindle, Smartphones and other Mobile Devices with a small display.

Customer Reviews (1)

19th century poetry with 21st century sensibility
Back in high school I struggled through Red Badge of Courage. Likewise, Crane's novel about a young prostitute, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, bored me in college. But along the way I discovered that Crane wrote poetry as well. His poetry is not the sentimental and genteel poetry often associated with the 19th century. His aggresive free-verse is more an agonized scream and a punch in the gut. Crane delights in calling out hypocrisy and exposing it to the light of day.

Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce and H.L. Menken were the "paragons of pessimism" during their days. To that group add the voice of Stephen Crane who was their equal in expressing the cynicism of the age; but Crane's cynicism often came wrapped around a seed of hope for mankind.

Both this volume and The Black Riders and Other Lines are highly recommended. ... Read more

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"Maggie: A Girl of the Streets," "The Red Badge of Courage," "George's Mother," "The Third Violet," journalism, tales and sketches, poetry. Includes firsthand accounts from Greece, and from Cuba during the Spanish-American war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Conjures up Images that Stay with You
His prose is excellent, but his poetry (the black riders / war is kind) is what stays with me.The striking images, dark humor and subversive fight against authority bring me back to the book decade after decade.These aren't Shakespearean sonnets; if he was born a hundred years later he would be channeling his raw feelings into writing lyrics for Rage Against the Machine.His poetry seems so modern it is hard to reconcile it with the completely different feel of The Red Badge of Courage and his splendid Spanish American War reporting.

The great American war novel plus
This volume contains all of Crane's major writings. I believe it is fair to say that it is 'The Red Badge of Courage' that gives Crane his place in the American pantheon. This is arguably the finest war novel ever written by an American. Its imaginative construction of the inner conflict of a young dreamer when confronted with the reality of battle-and the redemptive aftermath is a tautly and beautifully written realistic , moral drama. Its perception of the part imagination plays in our apprehension of reality connects it with a long tradition of the novel from 'Quixote' to ' Lord Jim'.
Crane like Keats was a literary fire that burned briefly but deeply and intensely.
... Read more

Product Description
Maggie, A Girl of the Streets, is the first novel written by author Stephen Crane, and was considered to be too risqué by publishers in 1893, and Crane was forced to self-publish this title. Maggie, A Girl of the Streets, is considered to be one of the most important novels featuring Naturalism, which believes that an individuals behavior is shaped largely by forces which are beyond their control. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A story ahead of its time- great read!
I love the lilt of the language in Stephen Crane's writing.This was a great read and amazingly ahead of it's time, though very sad story. I only wish it could have been longer. It's a shame Stephen Crane's only lived long enough to publish two novels.

Misprinted
I got most of the way through this book and then found that near the end, some random paragraphs that seem to be copy and pasted from another part in the book are inserted. It's very strange and very wrong. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

excellent collection of Crane's poetry
I'm not that big of a fan of poetry, but Stephen Crane is that rare exception.I loved almost every poem in this book, especially the poem on page 42("And you love me?") and the one called "Intrigue".That one is just beautiful.
According to the preface, written by Joseph Katz, this book "contains every poem known to have been written by Crane".These poems were originally published in a book called "The Poems of Stephen Crane: A Critical Edition(1971)".

I'd recommend these both to fans of Crane's prose work, and those just starting to get into poetry.This is as good beginning as you can choose(and in the world of poetry there's quite a lot to choose from).:)



Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 0-8014-9130-4

Ahh the stars..
"I saw a man pursuing the horizon.." One of the most compelling and thought provoking poems ever to come out in print.The beat Poets,Thomas..Who can compare to the thought provoking intimacy and reality of Mr. Crane! The man who walks into a bullet in Red Badge of Courage! (Isn't that what he does? Or does he run away..Ms. Kenney help me out..)"I saw a man pursuing the horizon.Round and Round they sped.I was disturbed at this,and so I accosted the man.'It is futile' said I.'You can never..' 'You lie!' he cried,and ran on.." (I think That's how it goes..)

A poem must be heard more than seen
Black riders came from the sea.
There was clang and clang of spear and shield,
And clash and clash of hoof and heel,
Wild shouts and the wave of hair
In the rush upon the wind:
Thus the ride of sin.

The above is the title poem of Crane's first collection, and one of his most well- known poems.

The poems of Crane are written in a simple clear language. But their meaning is often enhanced by some symbolic connection, and remains mysterious and open to suggestive interpretation.
They do not have in my feeling a strong internal rhythmic connection, and lack the memorable quality of the poems of other nineteenth century American poets, Whitman, Dickenson, Poe.
I feel somehow that Crane is more a poet of the eye than of the ear. He covers a wide range of subjects providing both an echo of his own inner life and a reflection on the world he sees.
My sense is that the Poetry is very much secondary to the prose, primarily ' The Red Badge of Courage'.
Like Keats he died very young leaving open the question of whether he might have developed in his poetic work , a dimension he does not have now.

Hate poetry? - you'll LOVE this
A review as concise and biting as Crane's poetry.Poems for those who "don't get it." War, love, God - one's very existence - stripped down to the essentials.To be read and re-read.Simply awesome!

for lovers of poetry, old or modern
this collection of crane's complete poetry is divided into four sections. the two most important sections are the two volumes of poetry crane published, which were -the black riders and other lines- and -war is kind-. the third section consists of "uncollected poems", i.e. poems that were published in magazines but did not appear in the two collections, and posthumously published poems.

as the other reviewers have stated, crane was not and is not known for his poetry, but it is quite magnificent. in general his poetry is surprisingly modern. they tend to be more prose-oriented although he often uses literal or loosely repeated sections (i.e. refrains) to good effect. his poetry also tends to be didactic (often taking the form of a parable with such "characters" as mountains, angels, and philosophers), morbid, and direct. which is certainly not to say that they aren't also emotional, masterful, and engaging.

-the black riders- as a whole is more straightforward than the poems in -war is kind-. in general the poems in -black riders- center around the metaphysical, with themes such as religion, ethics, and philosphy appearing often. although -war is kind- contains many of the same themes, it also includes more concrete themes, such as war, the many facets of a man's relationship with a woman, and specific occurrences and objects such as the printing of newspapers. the uncollected and posthumous poetry is varied, but just as excellent if not better than the poems in the two collections.

this edition is quite attractive, a nice size with a mostly competent introductory essay that sheds light on the background of the publishing of crane's two collections. the print itself is generally clean and attractive, although occasionally there are some notable flaws in the printing where a line is too dark or too light. all in all, though, this collection is highly recommended as it is complete and crane's poetry is well worth reading and timelessly relevant. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Cynicism wrapped around a seed of hope
Back in high school I struggled through Red Badge of Courage. Likewise, Crane's novel about a young prostitute, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, bored me in college. But along the way I discovered that Crane wrote poetry as well. His poetry is not the sentimental and genteel poetry often associated with the 19th century. His aggresive free-verse is more an agonized scream and a punch in the gut. Crane delights in calling out hypocrisy and exposing it to the light of day.

Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce and H.L. Menken were the "paragons of pessimism" during their days. To that group add the voice of Stephen Crane who was their equal in expressing the cynicism of the age; but Crane's cynicism often came wrapped around a seed of hope for mankind.

Both this volume and War is Kind are highly recommended. The only thing that kept this book from a 5-star review is the formatting that runs one poem into the next, separated only by the title. But since these are relatively short volumes, that is a slight complaint.

Brilliant.Proud, defiant and cynical.
Althoughthe excellent "Red Badge of Courage" is more famous,his poems are, in my opinion, his greatest work.As an atheist/agnostic, Ifind his poetry captures the best and worst of humanity. ... Read more

Product Description

The collected short work of an American master, including The Red Badge of Courage and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.

Customer Reviews (9)

Important early modern American literature
A collection of some of the most disturbing and, I haven't done the research but I'm going to guess, influential early modern American pieces. Not only are the stories historically important to American culture, but many of them very clever and thought provoking, and brilliant in character voice.

Among the very best fiction I've read
These 11 stories run from a few pages to about 125 pages. Crane evokes a great deal of color describing his scenes with a relative economy of words. He uses irony alot in his writing but is never cruel. He objectively writes about people struggling in harsh environments against overpowering fates but shows compassion.

The first story and the longest is "The Red Badge of Courage." Of all the stories, it may be best overall. The motivations of Henry Fleming and his fellow soldiers are really well drawn. They really don't want to be there, but feel they have to be heroes and at times they force themselves to be. But when the going gets tough in battle, many of them turn around and run. Crane portrays Henry as overhearing a general as saying to the effect that Henry's regiment was expeendable cannon fodder and this revelation very much grates on Henry's fellows.

The next story is "Maggie: A Girl of The Street." The story seems to be set in the late 19th century in an Irish tenament slum in New York.The account of the younger years of Maggie and her brother Jimmie ends with a scene of the two huddling in a corner of the flat as their parents lay sprawled out asleep on the floor, amidst broken furniture and dishes, after a drunken brawl with each other. It is such an environment like this that Maggie grows up. Jimmie grows up to be a truck driver and a brute. But Maggie is something of a flower amidst tenament squalor and catches the eye of Jimmie's friend Pete. Jimmy hears, from an old lady in his building who overheard a conversation between Pete and Maggie after one of their dates, that Maggie begged Pete to say that he loved her. Obviously this is a discrete intimation that Pete has taken Maggie's virginity. Well, this sets Johnnie and his barbaric mother into quite a rage and it goes downhill for Maggie there.

The biographical note at the back of the book, presumably written by the author of the fine introduction, James Colvert, says that Crane dosen't get into Maggie's mind. I think that's because she's extremely ignorant, with a mind numbed by a violent environment and lack of stimulation. The characters in this story engage in really thick Irish accents. I think the funniest dialogue is Pete's drunken conversation with his lady friends in the bar towards the end. Another comes from Jimmie and Maggie's mother Mary's lamentations to the effect that she didn't understand how Maggie could turn out so bad after being raised so well by her, Mary. I liked the description of the scenes in the cheap theaters where Pete takes Maggie.I don't understand what the next to last chapter with "the girl" walking the streets is about.

Other stories include "The Monster," an effective tragedy about a black servant named Henry Johnson of a white doctor in rural New England, who gets his face literally burned off and his brain damaged after trying to save the doctor's son in a fire. Both whites and blacks in the town are terribly afraid of Henry because his burned off face makes him look like a monster....After several incidents, after Henry escapes from his confinement at the house of a black family rage, the town turns against the doctor for keeping him in the community. One incident is him merely looking into the window of a birthday party and scaring out of her wits, one little girl. The little girl's father greatly exagerates the harm done to her and talks of having the doctor arrested. The other is when he appearts in the black neighborhood in the evening and stops by his old girlfriend Bella's house where her family is sitting on the front porch. Bella's fat old mother breaks her leg jumping over a fence at the sight of Henry. Bella herself is reduced to crawling in terror on the porch trying to escape as Henry in his amiable mental retardation babbles invitations to her to go to a dance with him. Henry moves into his old place above the farm of the doctor's house, making one of the neighbors move away. I thought the scene was really superb where the doctor's son Jimmy and his friends are competing with each other to see who can approach "the monster" as he sits solitarily in the barn.

"An experiment in misery," isan 11 page account of a night andnext morning experience of two homeless men. "A mystery of heroism" a tale about a civil war soldier's attempt to get water in the middle of a field where bullets and shells are flying back and forth. "The Open Boat" is a very technically well done story of four men, survivors from shipwreck, trying to survive at sea in their dinghy. The dialogue is excellent. "The Pace of Youth" is very succinctly written, about two young employees of a small merry-go-round place, who are prevented from having any communication by the girl's father, the manager of the place. Their silent flirtation is quite believable and really engaging. What they do at the end is incredible, but well managed by Crane. It is a superb romance. In "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky," I like the initial scenes where the young, naive couple, the groom being the sherrif of Yellow Sky, Texas, are viewed sardonically by the black porter and other passangers."

The last story is "The Blue Hotel." It begins with the owner of a hotel in a small Nebraska town managing, fatefully, to convince three passangers on the train that has stoped there, to stay the night at his hotel. The travellers are refered to as "the Easterner," "the cowboy," and "the Swede." A major highlight is the fistfight between the owner's son Johnnie and the extremely demented Swede, officiated by the owner. Indeed Crane is very skilled at describing fights whether they be on civil war battlefields or in bars. The other fight in this story, is, of course, at its end but I won't tell about that.

The Very Best of Stephen Crane
Anybody who has graduated from an American high school, or taken an introductory course in American literature at the college level, has been exposed to The Red Badge of Courage.This story of cowardice, courage, and self discovery is often ranked with the hallmarks of American literature.However, after this story has been read and discussed, all too often the author of this work is soon forgotten.This is unfortunate.Crane produced an amazing amount of work, some equal to or superior to The Red Badge, but very few contemporary readers are aware of these writings.This collection of short works and stories group together the very best of Crane's work and hopefully will help bring him to the attention of a new generation of readers.

Although Crane wrote some of the best descriptions of warfare ever written, not to mention other forms of action from gunfights to the power of sea and fire, his main interest was always concerned with how the individual reacts to the various challenges posed by a flatly indifferent universe.His characters invariably react with the egotistical assurance that they are in control of their destiny only to be knocked flat by life's viscisitudes.The character that can strip away his illusions finds redemption; those that don't are simply condemned to repeat the patern over and over again.

Two stories in particular deserve renewed attention.The Blue Hotel and The Monster rank with the very finest short stories ever written by an American.Both deal with false impressions and how these fallacies eventually lead to the ruin of the characters who hold them.In the two stories, one dealing with 19th century romantic notions of the American west, and the other with the unseemly side of American small town life, Crane combines realistic dialogue with his wonderful descriptive powers to create a world of his own making, one in which assumptions and prejudices are ever bit as powerful as decent behavior and civil responsibility.

Stephen Crane as Impressionist
"The battle flag in the distance jerked about madly. It seemed to be struggling to free itself from an agony. The billowing smoke was filled with horizontal flashes." (Crane, TRBOC).

If you were to mix Monet with the Civil War you would have "The Red Badge of Courage," penned by one of America's finest writers, Stephen Crane. His sense of hues and the dripping colors of the sky come together to paint some of the most beautiful literature humanly possible.

Stephen Crane is, above all, an Impressionist.His writing is strongly suggestive of the culmination of myriad viewpoints and perspectives. Scenes are not depicted from a distance, but rather from isolated instances on the battlefield. Esoteric symbols are utilized to bombard the reader with a certain cosmopolitan consciousness.

"The Red Badge of Courage," however, is not my favorite of Crane's works, but "The Open Boat." This short story is the monument to Crane's genius, the triumph of his language and arbitrary mode of experience, it is like viewing a story from many assorted "first person(s)."

Words could not explain my love of "The Open Boat."

Read Crane, love Crane, regardless of your High School preconceptions.

The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, Stephen crane
The short story "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky," by Stephen Crane is a short western story written around 1890. It concerns the effort of the town marshal, Jack Potter, bringing his new bride to the "frontier" town of Yellow Sky, Texas, at the time when the Old West was slowly being civilized.

While you are reading through the book, and waiting for something to happen, you are lead to the climax. At this turning point, the stereotypical gunfight between Jack Potter and his enemy Scratchy Wilson, the drunken troublemaker from Yellow Sky, was averted. Potter told Scratchy he didn't have a gun with him bacause he married now. Upon hearing this, Scratchy came to the realization he doesn't want to fight him anymore.
The averted gunfight, a main feature of the western story, makes you, as the reader, think all such gunplay is a thing of the past. This is, in fact, Crane's description of the "end of an era." Scratchy realizes through potter's change in behavior, which is now more mature, that a new way of life has started.

"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is a short story one can read in twenty minutes. When the reader returns to the story, he or she realizes, it is a short story with thoughts and meanings to be ieferred beyond the actual words. It may seem simple - even boring to read, but the message is meaningful.

As a student whose first language is German, I struggled with the vocabulary but came to realize the significance of the situation once I had finished reading. Therefore it is a good story, due to Crane's depiction of the western civilization. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on standardized tests, Webster's paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of The Little Regiment by Stephen Crane was edited for students who are actively building their vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT¿, SAT¿, AP¿ (Advanced Placement¿), GRE¿, LSAT¿, GMAT¿ or similar examinations.
PSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE¿, AP¿ and Advanced Placement¿ are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved. ... Read more

Product Description
This harrowing tale of a young girl in the slums is a searing portrayal of turn-of-the-century New York, and Stephen Crane's most innovative work. Published in 1893, when the author was just twenty-one, it broke new ground with its vivid characters, its brutal naturalism, and its empathic rendering of the lives of the poor. It remains both powerful, severe, and harshly comic (in Alfred Kazin's words) and a masterpiece of modern American prose.

This edition includes Maggie and George's Mother, Crane's other Bowery tales, and the most comprehensive available selection of Crane's New York journalism. All texts in this volume are presented in their definitive versions. ... Read more

Product Description
American writer Stephen Crane is best known for his classic depiction of the American Civil War in his novel "The Red Badge of Courage". It is the story of a 19-year-old boy named Henry Fleming who struggles to overcome his fear in battle. "The Red Badge of Courage" is widely regarded for its realistic depiction of a young man in battle and of the true meaning of courage. In addition to this classic novel several other of Crane's more popular shorter works have been added. These stories include the following: "The Veteran", "The Open Boat", "The Bride comes to Yellow Sky", "The Blue Hotel", "A Self-Made Man", "A Mystery of Heroism", "A Gray Sleeve", "Three Miraculous Soldiers", "The Little Regiment", "An Indiana Campaign", and "An Episode of War". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Crane, Stephen (1963 edition) The complete short stories & sketches of Stephen Crane.
Crane, Stephen (1963 edition) The complete short stories & sketches of Stephen Crane.Editor Thomas A. Gullason. Doubleday, Garden City New York ASIN B0006AYWFS

I chose this book because even over a century later Stephen Crane's depiction of war is incredibly vivid and memorable.As one reads images play inside one's head as if a well done news video were running across some immaterial screen.A number of Crane's stories deal with Cuba and its wars.Surely the best known is "The Open Boat" (1897) which deals with the wreck of Cuban-exile Commodore expedition (for the author's newspaper account see [http://www.ponceinlet.org/open-boat-newspaper.pdf]).Historically the Commodore was attempting to land tons of arms, ammunition to support the Mambi rebels during the (1895-1898) Cuban War of Independence [http://volusia.com/crane/].This is the conflict that would conclude with the Spanish-American War (1898).

However, I find Crane's other accounts set in Cuba or about Cuba as compelling and "real".These include: "Flanagan and His Short Filibustering Adventure" (1897), "The Price of the Harness" (1898), "The Clan of No-Name" (1899), "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"(1899), "The Lone Charge of William B. Perkins" (1899), "The Revenge of the Adolphus" (1899), "The Sergeant's Private Mad House" (1899) "Virtue in War" (1899), "The Second Generation" (1899) and the "Majestic Lie" (1900).

The author's descriptions of war action all over the world, such as Greek struggle for independence in the Greco-Turkish War e.g. "Death and the Child" and other conflicts, are just as compelling as if it were yesterday.

Having so many of Crane's short stories in one place is most useful. As many others have before, I recommend this book as the classic it is, both for general reading and as a guide for writer describing war. This book should be on every author's shelves. ... Read more

Product Description
Although never having seen battle Stephen Crane vividly depicts the grueling intensity of the American Civil War. The story revolves around Henry Fleming, a member of the 304th regiment of the Union Army. At the start of the novel Henry is eager to show his patriotism in battle but when faced with the savagery of death he flees the frontline. Throughout the novel Henry struggles with his courage in the face of the horror of war. "The Red Badge of Courage" is a classic modern depiction of the psychological turmoil of war from the perspective of an ordinary soldier. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Yearning to Read Review
Henry Fleming, a young man who joined the army against his mother's wishes, wants to know the meaning of courage.He wants to be brave, to fight in the war and be honored for his love for his country.But then come the doubts, the rage, the fear.And Henry, the youth, must learn the hard way what it really means to wear the red badge of courage.


It's a short novel, and beautifully crafted and written and built, but it's not an easy read, per se.(I want to read it again soon because I had a to read it a little fast for my liking in order to get my homework done.)Most of the characters have names, but Crane tends to use their character handles in reference to them.Henry is most often referred to as "the youth."There is the "tall soldier," "the loud soldier," etc.This is a very original and - I found - fascinating way to identify the characters, but for a reader who is not used to reading like that, it is more difficult and takes more time.Crane also uses many metaphors to describe the battefields and what "the youth" is feeling.He also uses a lot of color.And while this makes for a beautiful story with beautiful illustrations, it is a bit harder to follow.

But don't let that stop you.By all means, read this book.What fasinated me most about it was the way I felt while reading it.I could picture everything perfectly.The battlescenes flowed from beginning to end, ever deathly and beautiful all in one.I almost felt like I was reading in slow motion.I could picture "the youth" scrambling in the field, avoiding every bullet and tumbling into the trees in fright.I was there, among the soldiers.I was fighting and killing and brandishing a weapon.I saw the battles in a three dimensional whirl-wind of color, with bullets singeing my face and debris cutting my skin.

I wore the red badge of courage.

yearningtoread on blogspot

red badge of courage "review"
This book was written by Stephen Crane. It is a realistic fiction book. This story takes place in the civil war time period. This story is about a farm boy name Henry Fleming, who sets out to join the military for honor and glory. Although he is in the army he is worried that if he was to get in to a battle he might run away. Finally his army regiment is ready to march into battle. They spend many days walking on foot when they reach a battlefield, and start to hear something so they quickly run to secure their position. Then the confederate troops start to attack Henry's regiment. There is no way to escape because he is caught up in all the commotion. So he starts to fire randomly at the enemy line. He blacks out for a second and wakes up and flees away for the battle. He flees to from battle where he passes a bunch of wounded soldiers. He meets a wounded soldier that has been shot twice he speaks to Henry of how proud he was that his regiment didn't flee. Henry thinks of these wounds as "red badges of courage". the man Henry meets keeps asking Henry where his wounds are but Henry has nothing to say and pays no attention to his questions. Later on Henry and the wounded soldier find another soldier that is badly hurt Henry sees that the soldier is Jim Conklin, a boy for Henrys regiment. Henry later on sees Jim dies from his wounds right before him. Henry and the wounded man are wondering in the woods when the hear the sound of battle in the distance the mans health is getting worse but he still continues to ask Henry about his wounds. Henry can not take his questions any more so he abandons the man to die. Henry continues to walk closer to the battle where he can watch it from a safe distance. He sees his regiment retreating and he tries to stop them and find out what is going on, in all the commotion he gets hit on the head with a rifle and it opens a wound on his head. He is taken back to his camp by his regiment. The next day they go into battle and Henry over comes his fears and fights proudly for his regiment they win the battle and Henry carries the union flag proudly thought the rest of the battles his regiment faces. The resolution is Henry over comes his fear and proudly carries the flag of the union and is named his regiments best fighter. The lesson learned is that you should always face your fears if you want to have pride and trust in yourself. Over all the book was good and I recomendit to any one looking for a good war classic to read.

A Hull Lot'a Good Writin'
What makes this book difficult for one to immerse himself into is the colloquial speech of the late 19th century agrarian United States of America. When you come across such dialog, I found it to be easier to read it out loud. For example, a mother telling a youthful soldier-to-be: "...Don't go athinkin' you can lick the hull rebel army at the start, because yeh can't." Once you get past the vernacular, Crane lays out the full realities of war.

This is a story of a young man, who is still in his teens, rising up to the occasion of becoming a Civil War era Unionist hero everyone can look up to. At the first crack of the gun's barrel he runs away. His pride hurt, and his body without any physical red badge of courage, he rejoins his comrades, who are busy licking their wounds. Seeing his friends' faces "bleached with death" and falling stiffly onto the ground, anger and raw hatred molds the youth into a killing machine.

Crane's depiction of war is universal. That is why his work is considered classic. Stories that show universal truths, even recycled truths in a new context, make deep impressions in the human mind. Had more people read this story at the time of its original publishing, maybe the world wars would have been prevented. But, alas, two world wars happened with over 120 Million casualties. Literature is written to better humanity, but it must first be read.

[...] REVIEW
* "Stephen Crane wrote a book depicting war that still holds up, even though it was written many decades ago. Crane shows how young boys can look at the soldier from home and see a hero to be imitated. He then puts his main character, a boy, in the center of the war by making him enlist. Crane's description of war is so clear and accurate. First of all, war kills people in groups. War leaves many more soldiers with loses. Loses of limbs, organs, and mental health. Every time I hear a young person in the subway discuss enlisting into the military, I wonder if he has read Red Badge of Courage." tales from tim

The Story of a Man at War - Courage or Cowardice?
As The Red Badge of Courage opens, members of a newly recruited regiment are debating a fresh rumor
The regiment does not move out on the rumored day, but soon thereafter. They march through other Union armies, dressed in blue. Their youth shows, as their uniforms still seem so new they gleam. Soon after, though, the tall soldier kicks Henry awake. The regiment is gathered and the men run down wood roads. During this time, Henry's thoughts are mixed and various. He feels that he should have never enlisted and misses his home. The next moment, he feels the overwhelming need to see a battle taking place. After he does so, upon cresting a hill and looking at a skirmish down below, he watches in quiet fascination, but does not desire to participate. Then, after the men march more and he sees his first dead body, he begins to suspect that they are being led to their slaughter, to be sacrificed to a red war god. He wants to tell his mates, but is afraid of their jibes and scoffing in return.

Soon, the regiment is facing an actual conflict. Wilson, the loud soldier, is so certain he will die that he gives Henry a packet of letters to send to his family. As they line up to fight, rumors fly again about the state of their army. Smoke and noise from guns rise around them. Bullets and shells whistle towards them. A regiment in front, already engaging the enemy, is beaten and flees the battleground. The youth imagines that they were beaten by a monster. He resolves to get a view of this monster, even if he very well may flee himself. The regiment is soon engaged. They work feverishly, firing and reloading. The smoke chokes them and makes their eyes red. Henry feels full of rage. Men fall occasionally around him. Soon, the enemy retreats. The men relax. Henry feels satisfied that he has overcome the trials of war.

Soon, the regiment is facing an actual conflict. Wilson, the loud soldier, is so certain he will die that he gives Henry a packet of letters to send to his family. As they line up to fight, rumors fly again about the state of their army. Smoke and noise from guns rise around them. Bullets and shells whistle towards them. A regiment in front, already engaging the enemy, is beaten and flees the battleground. The youth imagines that they were beaten by a monster. He resolves to get a view of this monster, even if he very well may flee himself. The regiment is soon engaged. They work feverishly, firing and reloading. The smoke chokes them and makes their eyes red. Henry feels full of rage. Men fall occasionally around him. Soon, the enemy retreats. The men relax. Henry feels satisfied that he has overcome the trials of war.

However, the men have not rested for long when the Rebels attack again. They fight fiercely once more. Henry feels different this time. He feels that the monster of war, a red and green dragon, will come through the gray smoke and swallow him. After a few men around him flee, the youth's own fear gets the better of him. He drops his weapon and runs from the battle. As he goes through the forest and past cannons, he is sure that the dragon is pursuing him and that these others fighting against it are fools, going like lemmings to their death. However, as he finally stops by an officer, he finds that his regiment won the battle. He is thunderstruck. He realizes that he has done something very wrong, though he tries to justify it to himself that it was through superior powers of observation. He imagines the insults he will have to bear when returning to camp and attempts to get as far away from them and the monster of war as possible. He walks into a forest. The noises of the conflict gradually become fainter. He feels more at peace, that his actions are more in congress with nature. However, as he goes, he encounters a corpse, with a faded uniform. The glassy-eyed stare grabs him for a moment in fear. Then the youth slowly turns away, creeping from the body; then he turns and runs away as fast as he can.

He goes through the forest and into the open. He finds a road and walking upon it a procession of wounded soldiers. They are suffering and moaning as they limp down the road. A tattered soldier, wounded twice, tries to talk to Henry about the battle and where the youth has been shot. These questions bring his embarrassment and guilt out. He tries to run away in the crowd. He eventually runs into Jim Conklin, the tall soldier, wounded and near death. Henry tries to help him, but his friend is too close to death. The tattered man comes up to assist as well, but Jim runs off into the fields, where he staggers and falls over dead. The tattered man tries to talk more with Henry, telling him stories of men he knows in the army and how he became wounded. Again, the man asks Henry where his wounds are located. The youth tells him to not bother him, and slips away from the man, leaving him blubbering and wondering about in the field.

As he continues on, Henry eventually encounters a retreating band of carts and horses. This makes him feel temporarily good; if the whole army is retreating, his flight will not be so suspicious. However, soon a column of troops comes up the road. Henry looks at these men as brave, and he soon gets the will to fight. However, more thoughts come into his head. He considers that he is low and guilty. His comrades will see him as a worm. These thoughts make him thirst and ache. He tries to justify his flight in his head, but his emotions betray him. He wishes he were dead.
Soon, the column comes running out of the grove into which they marched. All is chaos and pandemonium. Henry is shocked to see that these heroic figures have been so quickly turned into scampering animals. He tries to stop one to ask him what happened, but only blubbers his words. The man hits him on the head with his rifle. Henry is dazed and injured. He wonders in the dark until a kind man helps him find his regiment.
There, no harsh words await him. Wilson and another soldier bandage his wound, which Henry claims is from a bullet. The others do not seem to care that much, just that he gets attention and rest, which he does. When he awakes, he finds that his friend, Wilson, is not so much the loud soldier he once was. He takes special care of Henry, is reflective, and breaks up fights around him. The youth notices this change from irritation to tranquility. However, he feels that he has a weapon against his friend
The regiment today moves from one embankment to another, always taking cover and seeing some of battle, but not actually participating in it. The youth is now talkative, perhaps overly so. He tries to show his pride, and is silenced for it; for he knows that he in fact fled battle yesterday and was not shot. A sarcastic soldier cuts him down and later his lieutenant tells him to stop talking and start fighting. The regiment does this soon enough. They are attacked by the Rebels and repel them. This battle, Henry fights as if he were crazed, shooting at them long after the battle is finished. This makes some of the men look at him with curiosity. Henry regards himself as a barbarian.

Soon, Wilson and Henry take an opportunity to get water for the regiment. After they search for a stream unsuccessfully, they encounter a general and his staff in a road. In the midst of the conversation, they hear that their regiment of "mule drivers" is going to charge the enemy, with perhaps many casualties. They return to their fellow soldiers with this news, but do not tell them that the general doubted that they will survive.
The charge begins soon. It takes the regiment a minute, but they are soon running with haste at the enemy. Many are shot in the process. Henry now feels that he sees things clearly. He and the other men go into a frenzy. But eventually, they stop. The lieutenant yells, screams, and curses at them to continue. Wilson breaks the spell by firing his rifle. Others soon follow his lead. Soon, Henry sees the flag of his army, which revives him. As his color sergeant is soon shot, he leaps for the flag, along with Wilson, to hold it for himself. The battle rages on, with Henry holding the flag aloft. The men dig in slightly, as their numbers diminish. Henry is full of rage. He is thinking little, only feeling his anger. The lieutenant and Henry are both trying to get the men to continue. Soon, the officer sees that the men in gray are trying to advance onto their position. Automatically, the regiment fires into them, causing the enemy to retreat. Satisfied, they go back to their lines.

When they return, they are greeted with jeers from the veterans and reprimands from the higher officers. They stopped short of an impressive charge, they learn. The men, who had been so proud of themselves, find that their efforts are not seen as sufficient, let alone brave. Soon, though, Wilson and Henry here a story through one of their fellow soldiers that a colonel and lieutenant were discussing their particular prowess in battle. This fills their hearts with pride.

Soon, the battle is on again. The men in blue charge the men in gray once more. Again, the regiment finds itself in open territory, peppered by bullets. Henry is intent on standing upright, keeping the flag strong, though the men around him are still falling. Then the order comes to charge. The men to not shirk; they fix bayonets and wildly charge toward the gray smoke of the enemy's guns. On the other side, the youth knows, are the men who made this. He must see them. As they approach the enemy lines, the opposing flag comes into view. Wilson leaps at it and grabs it from the hands of the just-shot color sergeant. There are four prisoners of war, all looking very young and very human in their own faces. The men in blue are victorious.

Henry, upon walking away with the regiment, first feels pride in his accomplishments of battle. Then he remembers his flight and his treatment of the tattered man, and guilt riles up in him again. He is concerned his mate will see it. However, he eventually lets this go. He now sees his previous thoughts on war and battle as silly and is happy to find himself doing so. He has made it through the trials of battle, from the red and the black, and is changed into a man. The gold (instead of the yellow) of the sun streams through the clouds as he marches with his regimen ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (10)

Red Badge of Courage
Drew LA-5

The Red Badge of Courage is a classic war novel that is written during the 19th century. The story is based on the main character, Henry Fleming, who joins the army looking for some excitement in his life. This novel is historical-fiction and is set during the Civil War.
The story begins at Henry's farm where he talks his mom into letting him join the army. He is as anxious as any for a battle to begin, and he is tired of walking around aimlessly. Finally, a battle begins and Henry begins his fire on the enemy. However, when the enemy draws near, Henry runs away in panic and is separated from his regiment. While walking aimlessly among his fellow soldiers, Henry enrages another soldier who knocks him out cold. When he awakens he is asked what regiment he is in and tells the story of how he was wounded. Henry lies and says he was shot in the head so that it doesn't appear that he ran away. The Corporal helps Henry find his regiment. Soon after, another battle breaks out, and Henry is holding the flag and is determined to not run away from the battle. After all of the fire stops, another Corporal tells Henry's Corporal that Henry was the bravest flag bearer he's ever seen. Then, the enemy's troops start another battle, and Henry's regiment is forced to charge. Henry holds the flag strong, while his friend takes the enemy's flags.
This book taught me that if at first you don't succeed try, try, again. This book is a classic and is a must read for anyone interested in historical fiction. However, I would only give it two out of five stars because the book uses a lot of 19th century English, and you often find yourself having to read the same paragraph twice.

Red badge of Courage
I got the Great Illustrated Classics version for kids; wasn't expecting a juvenile version.Read the fine print!

There are better War stories out there
Poor kid, Stephen Crane, he died at age 28 after bearing witness to a radically changing world in 1890's. He burned out like a shooting star going across the sky, dying out of tuberculosis at some spa in Germany. His subject is the coming of age of Henry and the background is the Civil War, the war in which more Americans died than have died in all the other wars this country has fought put together. The language is fresh, startling, vivid - especially colorful. But is it true? Is this a real depiction of war? Probably not. The war as he tells it never was for Crane never actually saw it. Real vets who have experienced battle say their experience was quite different. So if you really want to know about war and also get a good read at the same time, I suggest you take up Norman Mailer's classic "The Naked and the Dead." It is the best novel about World War II. And if you want the real skinny on war and a good read at the same time I suggest you take up Patton's wonderful memoire, "War as I knew it." Patton has a gigantic ego and does say outlandish things such as "a negro soldier cannot think quick enough to fight in armor." But Patton is completely honest, not even sparing himself when he is in the wrong. The battles are the battles that Patton saw and suffered through and won and lost. His letters of instruction, which appear at the end of the memoire, are exactly what the military needed at that time and in that place. His memoire is the perfect fix for the war reality junkie. Crane's red badge, next to Mailer's and Patton's works is a fake.

Study of a Boy Grappling with His First Experiences at War
Many deeply moving images of scenes from within the civil war as we share the thoughts, feelings, and changes aboy goes through while going off to fight for the first time; the experiences trulybrought up close and personal.Several times I had trouble figuring out which side, North or South, he was describing, though. Fun reading a piece written in 1895, and aStephen Crane bio in the introduction added to the fascination.Amazing war documentation from a man that had never seen a war at that time.
Another great read that I must have managed to avoid during my school years.

Facing Mortality at Close Range
Stephen Crane's classic story of battlefield atonement has become a staple of American literary education, probably because it portrays a young protagonist's inner struggle, as opposed to a more tangible plot development.Young readers accustomed to reading solely about a protagonist's physical actions, will find that describing a protagonist's thoughts requires a higher level of literary skill.

As popular as it is, though, The Red Badge of Courage is written in an archaic form of English (first published in 1895) which has a rough, unsophisticated edge.It may be that this style enhances the realism, as relayed by a young farmer describing a battlefield populated with fellow yokels.

As Henry Fleming approaches the fighting, he wonders if he has the raw courage to face mortality at close range.The fact is that no one knows the answer to this question until hindsight reveals it.What he finds is that as long as his comrades fight, he is willing to fight alongside them, but as soon as some of them begin to desert in the face of the enemy, he scurries from the field of honor along with them.

The story of our yeoman protagonist coming to grips with his cowardice, and overcoming it in one fever-pitched hostile action after another is the source of the book's power.Only valorous actions can atone for his initial cowardice and the reader follows him as he turns the flank on that cowardice and defeats it.His war is an internal one, and his internal victory serves as a synecdoche for the Civil War's resolution.Armistice follows his personal triumph.

The Red Badge of Courage has served its noble purpose well, and we Americans are all descendants of the carnage which shaped our country, but here's a secret for some young reader to exploit...This novel is not the quintessential wartime psychological thriller which the dust jacket claims; its shortcomings make it a certainty that a more eloquent, more soul-searing novel of wartime salvation will ultimately displace it.
... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (316)

The Red Badge of Courage shows the horrors of war through the eyes of a young Civil War recruit
Stephen Crane (1871-1900) lived a short life but managed to write the classic of Civil War combat in his 1895
masterpiece "The Red Badge of Courage."
The story shows us the sights, sounds, smells and horror of the battle through the eyes of Henry Fleming. Henry is a farm lad from New York who has left behind a mother who laments his leaving for the army. On the first day of battle the boy runs away but he later redeems himself with heroism under fire. Irony reigns as he is hit on the head by a fleeing soldier! The wound from that blow is his red badge of courage!His best friend in the regiment Jim Conklin is killed by a horrific wound. Henry survives the battle. The short novel shows us the cruelty of war. Soldiers are merely pawns while the heavens look on with indifference to the plight of suffering humanity. Crane believed in social darwinism; the world is a harsh place where only the strong and lucky survive. Crane was the son of a New Jersey Methodist minister but his universe is godless.
This masterpiece of American literature was praised by Ernest Hemingway and filmed by John Huston with war hero Audie Murphy in the role of Henry Fleming. It is an essential of war fiction and a brutal look at warfare.
Other stories are included in this Penguin Edition:
1. The Veteran-this short story records the death of the aged Henry Fleming. He is living on a farm and dies in an attempt to save his ponies when his barn burns to the ground. The story says the battle Henry was involved in during the Civil War was Chancellorsville.
2. The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky tells of a lawman who has returned to a Western town with a wife. Gunman Scratchy Wilson refuses to fight lawman Potter as the story concludes.
3. The Blue Hotel revolves around a cheating at cards incident in a Western town in Nebraska.
4. A Self Made Man is a parody of a Horatio Alger Story.
5. The Open Boat is a tale of survival. A captain, cook, oiler and journalist are castaways from a sinking boat off the Florida coast. They must work together to survive against the backdrop of uncaring and indifferent nature.

Apocalypse Then
Stephen Crane's best-known work remains singularly powerful more than a century after publication, a remarkably vivid acid-trip-like ride told in a grippingly naturalistic way. The product of a man in his mid-20s who had never been closer to war than military school and veteran's parades, "Red Badge Of Courage" captures both the lulls and terrors of combat as experienced in the Civil War.

Henry Fleming is a young man newly recruited to the Union cause. When his regiment, the 304th New York, is put on the front line, the youth recoils from a strong Confederate attack and finds himself wandering the broken hinterlands of the battlefield. As the war around him continues, another war goes on inside Henry as he tries to convince himself he is not a coward. But only battle will restore his sense of self.

The edition I read is billed as the "only complete edition", from Crane's original manuscript. People who complain that the later final edition is too purple for its own good would probably dislike this even more. There's more of Fleming's internal struggle, and more adjectives. Certainly editing had its advantages. I don't think one of "Red Badge's" most famous lines benefits from the adjective "fierce", as in "The red sun was pasted in the sky like a fierce wafer."

But there are compensatory benefits to this editions. While narrating Henry's various self-justifications for his running away from battle, some of which have a ring of meretricious substance about them, there is this nice line, excised from the final text: "...he peers into the core of things and sees that the judgment of man is thistle-down in wind".

Editor Henry Binder overstates how much of the editing was to the novel's detriment, arguing that it obscures Crane's message of Fleming as a badly-flawed character only made worse after answering Mars' call to duty at last. Fleming doesn't strike me as guilty of more than being a kid in a tricky situation, out on his own for the first time in the most testing of circumstances. I've never been to war, but I identified with the highly vivid journey of self-discovery Henry takes. It's to Crane's credit he keeps so much of Fleming under the table, even barely referencing him by name. That way he becomes an everyman, and a reader surrogate.

What kind of takeaway does Crane desire from his readers? Was it, to echo a title of a later Crane poem, that "War is kind"? "He had fought like a pagan who defends his religion," Crane writes of Fleming. "Regarding it, he saw that it was fine, wild, and, in some ways, easy."

Yet you also get vividly horrific descriptions of dead bodies reeking in the sun, and senseless death and suffering.

Ultimately Crane probably saw war as a natural byproduct of humanity and an uncaring universe, neither good nor bad. It's a limited philosophical construct, perhaps, but one that "Red Badge" makes a case for in bold, unforgettable hues.

Inspiring
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this much but I did.I found it gripping. I have never been involved in a war but for what its worth, I found this the most convincing account of being in a battle I have ever read.The only other thing I have seen which gives the same feel is Clint Eastwood's film about Iwo Jima.

I liked the way Crane describes the swirling and shifting thoughts of a young man under extreme stress, in a group of many others in the same state.

It shows how, if one is lucky enough to survive, war can mature a person almost overnight.

Essential American Classic
The Red Badge of Courage is Stephen Crane's most famous work and generally considered his masterpiece. I am a major Crane fan and think him one of America's greatest writers but believe Red is inferior to his short stories. However, it is still significant and enjoyable. A true classic, it is highly recommended for fans of realism, naturalism, and Crane as well as Civil War buffs.

It is rightly revered as an accurate, compelling Civil War story but is not what most will expect. No epic war tale, it is in fact very short and goes into detail about only one battle. However, Civil War veterans marveled at how stunningly and movingly well Crane conveyed what the war was really like, specifically his focus on the human element all too often missing in histories. Time has if anything only increased admiration of this angle. This is all the more remarkable in that Crane was born after the war and had no battle experience; his ability to get inside soldiers' heads and vividly recreate their world - one so unimaginable to nearly everyone - is truly incredible. All this of course gives significant historical value.

Perhaps even more impressive is that Red revolutionized war's literary portrayal. It has no glorious, hard fought battles or conventional mighty heroes; appeals to masculinity, strength, and other primal urges ubiquitous since Homer are notably absent. Crane shows what war is really like for the average soldier:scary, surreal, and immensely intimidating. Henry Fleming, the protagonist, bit off far more than he could proverbially chew just like millions and millions of soldiers throughout history. The book details his pained, uncertain journey; the vague but very real fear, pressing doubts, and sheer cowardice consuming him are familiar to far more soldiers than will ever admit it. Red severely undercuts the ancient cliché of glorious war, depicting it as truly awful in every sense of the word. This did not become standard until after World War I, showing just how far ahead of his time Crane was as well as his immense eventual influence.

Yet, in the end, Fleming learns from his experiences, achieving a kind of courage and even glory at least as great in its way as - and in many ways far more real than - any illustrious soldier's in history or myth. The book is thus also a bildungsroman; Fleming moves from naïveté and ignorance to hard-won, if unconventionally gained, knowledge of humanity's and life's dark side. Crane's other work is far more piercing here, with Red focusing more on relatively positive and practical applications. Even so, the book was significantly far ahead of its time in this regard also, positing a complex view of identity and how it is influenced by environment and other factors. Despite brevity, simple prose, and a straight-forward story, Red is therefore one of the first truly modern novels.

I strongly urge anyone who likes this to read Crane's short stories, which have considerably more artistry and depth. However, this is a good entry point and a book that all Americans - as well as anyone else interested in its elements - should read for many reasons, not least its unflinching look at the dark side of the nation's darkest conflict.

A search for courage, meaning and justification
I will direct my review to "Red Badge", for the first two stories the gifted young writer wasted his prose on the pathetic lives of a couple suburban families; they were not very interesting, nor enriching.

Though in "Red Badge", Crane brought out uniquely beautiful and detailed prose with the characters written in the dialect of the day.He put more into this rather short story than a book ten times its size, though the momentum slowed the last quarter.The story is about a young soldier searching for courage, meaning and justification while fighting in a single battle during the Civil War.He was out to prove himself after running from his first skirmish.After receiving his wound (red badge of courage) he began to writhe in guilt in the way he received it.As time past he became cocky, and he fooled himself and others into believing a different battle tale.

Crane's style can add to your writing skills, though be wary, his "lostness" does radiate in his words.

Lord bless
Scott ... Read more

Product Description
Stephen Crane (1871-1900) was an American novelist, poet and journalist. He is best known for his novel Red Badge of Courage (1895). The novel introduced for most readers Crane's strikingly original prose, an intensely rendered mix of impressionism, naturalism and symbolism. He lived in New York City a bohemian life where he observed the poor in the Bowery slums as research for his first novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (1893), a milestone in uncompromising realism and in the early development of literary naturalism. He became shipwrecked in route to Cuba in early 1897, an experience which he later transformed into his short story masterpiece, The Open Boat (1898). Crane's poetry, which he called 'lines' rather than poems, was also strikingly new in its minimalist meter and rhyme. It employed symbolic imagery in order to communicate at times heavy-handed irony and paradox. Other works include Active Service (1899), The Monster (1899), The Blue Hotel (1899), Whilomville Stories (1900) and Wounds in the Rain (1900). ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A must read classic
Few books cause such a visceral reaction as The Red Badge of Courage. Every time I read it, I can't put it down and usually finish it in one sitting.

The writing is superb. The themes are deep. The descriptions of battles are uncanny (though--unbelievably--Craine never fought in War). The book draws you in so deep, you almost feel like you are fighting (or running) along side Henry.

It really makes you stop and consider what it means to be a man. Stands with the movie, All Quiet on the Western Front as one of the deepest and most accurate depictions of war.

Facscinating and subversive
The writer was heavy and the plot seemed unbelievably boring but I appreciate the work much more now after discussing it with my teacher and classmates. I now know that Crane was actually being very subversive. Because of the irony in RBOC, Crane can be interpreted as being anti-war. It also is an ironic comment about late 19th century boys' bookss and the fear that American men were becoming too effete because of over-civilization. The idea was that men needed to have visceral, barbarous experiences so American men could regain their masculinity and form a national identity as citizens of both moral and physical health (hence the concurrent development of PE and the professionalization of sports). Finally, Crane's analysis about the meaning of manhood is interesting: A boy is a man once he has been perceived as a man by other men (eg when Henry is seen fighting like an animal). I appreciate RBOC much more now that I understand it better.

Great Story, Good Kindle Edition
Unlike many others I was never required to read "The Red Badge of Courage" in High School.When I saw that it was among the many other classics that are now available for free on the Kindle I happily took the opportunity to read it; I am glad that I did.

There are plenty of reviews of the novel itself on the print version, so first a note about the Kindle Edition of this book: I found no typos or poor formatting of the text throughout the Kindle Edition, which is a nice change from many of the other free classics.The only problem with this edition is that the table of contents does not work.It looks as if it should, but it is apparently just a large image within the text file, instead of clickable links to the relevant sections of the book.This is not a big deal, but it is always nice to have a working table of contents for reference.

As for the story: The Red Badge of Courage tells the story of Henry, often referred to as the "Youth," and his transformation over the course of a few days.Considering the author never fought in a war, his reflections on the the way battles can change a person are truly insightful, and at times even breath-taking.Stephen Crane also had a talent for describing the world around Henry allowing the reader to feel as if they are in the novel.The book is quite short, but Crane does a great job developing Henry's character.As Henry goes from scared, to terrified, to arrogant, and eventually humble, you find yourself actively liking and disliking Henry through his transformation, as if you were there.

There are two particular literary devices Crane uses that I particularly enjoyed and make the novel poetic at times.First, almost all of the characters have both a name and them also a character description.For example, Henry is "the Youth," he has a friend "the loud youngster" and so on for all the main characters.This reinforces the idea that this is not just a book about a particular person or group of people, but about people in general.The second device is the way Crane uses common themes.So, the word red is used an adjective of the novel, just as it is in the title.Or, another example, Henry is walking through the woods that remind him of a chapel: from that moment there is a chorus, steeple, etc., used as adjectives and metaphors for the next few pages.This is truly poetic.

I am grateful that there are teams of volunteers that put this material together and release it for free for the Kindle.The Red Badge of Courage was a quick and entertaining read: if, like me, you did not have the chance to read it when you were younger I would certainly recommend it.

I liked it more
This is a great story. I liked it even more than the printed edition because now we can have it for free on the Kindle. I didn't like Kindle in the beginning but now I do because there are so many free books here and I don't need to bother with the public library to get them. ... Read more

Product Description

This collection was designed for optimal navigation on Kindle and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically, chronologically and by category, making it easier to access individual books, stories and poems. This collection offers lower price, the convenience of a one-time download, and it reduces the clutter in your digital library. All books included in this collection feature a hyperlinked table of contents and footnotes. The collection is complimented by an author biography.

Customer Reviews (2)

Perfect format for the Kindle!
I've purchased over 20 of these complete author collections from this publisher. I have purchased William Shakespear, Charles Dckens, Mark Twain, Edgar Alan Poe, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Jule Verne, Oscar Wilde, Alexander Dumas, and a few others. These collections work superbly on the Kindle. Take Mark Twain collection. The collection includes huge number of Mark Twain's works all in one place, searchable and well-organized. If I would have purchased all these books separately, searching for `The Gilded Age' among hundreds of other books on my Kindle would be a nightmare. With Mobile Reference collections, I simply click `Works of Mark Twain', then click Novels> `The Gilded Age'. I can also click `List of works in alphabetical order' > `G' > `Gilded Age'. If I forget the book title but remember that `The Gilded Age' was written by Mark Twain early in his career, I can click on `List of works in chronological order' > (1873) `The Gilded Age'.

If I want another author, say, Charles Dickens, I click `Home' > `Works of Charles Dickens'. If I want Dostoevsky, I click `Works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky'. I think this format is perfect for organizing books on the Kindle.

Inside collections, each book has links to chapters and footnotes. The text is nicely formatted and seems to be complete and accurate - something that cannot always be said about inexpensive ebooks. I think these collections are great bargains both in terms of saved money, time, and book organization!

I found this ebook to be excellently put together.
Works of Stephen Crane. Including Maggie, Girl of the Streets, The Red Badge of Courage, The Little Regiment, The Open Boat and Other Tales of Adventure & more. Published by MobileReference (mobi)

This ebook is an excellent collection of works of Stephen Crane. Read, enjoy, and please pay close attention to the existentialist absurdity found so often in Crane's work. The modernist tone of his writing, along with his realism, was well ahead of his time. ... Read more

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An essay on life during the Victorian era prefaces a collection of writings by leading British authors whose works reflect the values and concerns of the age. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The essential Crane
This work contains the essential Crane including 'The Red Badge of Courage' and 'Maggie: A girl of the streets". It also contains Crane's most famous story, "The Open Boat" a selection of his poetry, and many illuminating personal letters.
Crane by the time he passed from the world at the age of twenty- nine had already written the masterwork ,"The Red Badge of Courage" which would make him part of the American canon.
His deep kind of poetic realism, his journalistic searching among the ordinary people, his reporting upon horrifying realities with a kind of mature brilliance and wisdom make him an American classic.
Troubled and incomplete as his life was he nonetheless managed to make a work of enduring value. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Typesetting stinks!
As noted in the other reviews, the Kindle edition of this classic is mangled beyond belief. Some scenes are missing, others are out of order, and overall the narrative has been rendered insensible. Do not buy this Kindle book, even if the price is 99 cents. It's not worth a penny if you can't make heads or tails out of it.

C'mon Amazon!! Why are You So Sloppy!!??
This is actually a very interesting story.However, whoever put this story into Kindle form completely ruined it.About 3/4 of the way through the book the following sentence appears: him That's it. The H is not capitalized and there is no period after the m.Then it becomes obvious that paragraphs are missing and some are put in twice - it is one BIG MESS!!I honestly don't believe that I have the entire book as suddenly someone is dead but there is no mention as to how that person died.This is extremely poor, sloppy editing.

I know this is a freebie, but that is no excuse for such a horrendous job.I ordered a Bible for my Kindle and now I wonder if it is correct. If Amazon can screw up a simple, short book like the book reviewed here, it is highly probable that my Bible is incomplete or has passages put in twice.Do I have to purchase another Bible from Amazon and then compare my Kindle Bible to that one?I have no faith (pun unintended) in this Bible, and BTW it was not a freebie.

Amazon, if you don't want to be accused of a "Kindle Swindle" why don't you put some care into your books and other items that are sent to Kindles?? Kindles are expensive.I've lost faith in you and I have been a loyal customer for many years.

defective
The last chapters are a muddle-- parts are suddenly repeated, in the midst of a chapter is an odd message that if you are tired of reading you can save the text and return. This does not seem to be the fault of Gutenberg.
It is all there, but especially the next to the last chapter is a mess.
This, by the way, is not classic Crane -- not even a good period piece. ... Read more