6 h 44 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 44 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the man robbing you has such good manners that you hardly know whether to feel angry or delighted?
In E. W. Hornung’s Stingaree, a polished outlaw rides through the Australian outback, robbing the rich and following his own code of honor. Stingaree does not rant or bully. His daring comes with grace, and the police remain a step behind. These separate adventure stories turn on danger, pursuit, and the charm of a criminal who refuses to behave like an ordinary thief.
Beside him rides Howie Clarke, a loyal companion who shares the risks and long journeys. Around them stretches a hot, thinly settled country of distant stations, rough tracks, and long silences. Each tale brings its own adventure and neat turn. Read one at a time or keep going: the light, episodic storytelling leaves room for both the chase and the warmth of loyalty.
What you’ll discover
- A rogue with manners Meet an outlaw whose courtesy makes his robberies all the more disarming.
- Loyalty through every chase Follow Howie Clarke as he shares Stingaree’s risks and brings warmth to the adventures.
- The heat of the bush Travel through vast distances, rough tracks, and the long silences of the Australian outback.
- An unusual code of honor Discover the personal code that sets this polished bushranger apart from an ordinary thief.
- A fresh danger each time Enjoy separate tales with their own dangers and turns, held together by one daring rogue.
Who will love it
Readers who love outlaws with good manners, quick wits and a sense of fun, and who enjoy bush life, clever disguises, chases and fair play in colonial Australia.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A hidden listener changes a singer's life
- A clever trap is only as good as its secret
- Gratitude cannot be bought or betrayed
- Courage and good manners can disarm a bandit
- Rival police forces make easy prey
- A murder tests the outlaw's code of honor
- Disguise is the outlaw's best weapon
- A boy's admiration puts a mother at risk
- What the tales add up to and how they are told
Who’s who
- StingareeThe dandy bushranger with a monocle, a love of music and a professed dislike of killing, who robs with style and helps those he thinks deserve it.
- Hilda BouverieA gifted young singer working as a companion in the bush, who longs to be heard and gets her chance in a very strange way.
- HowieStingaree's bearded, blunt partner, who rides with him, sleeps across the tent door and prefers fewer words and fewer risks.
- Fergus CarrickA sober young Scot who joins a bank manager's plot to catch the outlaw, and writes freely to his sister across the world.
- Superintendent CairnsA hunchbacked, sarcastic New South Wales police officer who hunts Stingaree with fierce pride and a keen eye for crime.
- Sub-Inspector KilbrideA hot-tempered Victorian police officer who wants the reward and the glory of catching Stingaree alone, before the police of New South Wales can.
- CarmichaelThe sharp-tongued manager of Mulfera Station, a public school man gone wild, who dreads the visit of a bishop.
- Oswald MelvinA vain young music seller who worships bushrangers and dreams of holding up a coach, while his gentle mother watches over him.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 6 h 44 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Stingaree in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Stingaree
by E. W. Hornung · 1905
A stranger in spurs hears Hilda sing and steps into her lonely station room.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
A girl at a piano sings alone in a bush station room, and a stranger in spurs rides off the track to listen. Who is he?
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A hidden listener changes a singer's life
Hilda Bouverie is the paid companion of a vain squatter's wife, Mrs. Clarkson, on a lonely New South Wales station. She has not sung for months and plays her mistress's accompaniments.
One day she sings alone, and a young man with a monocle and a military mustache appears in the doorway. He praises her voice, asks her to keep his visit secret and rides away. Weeks later Mrs. Clarkson gives a grand charity concert in a new iron store in the township of Yallarook, with the famous composer Sir Julian Crum in the front row. In the pause between the two halves, the stranger steps onto the platform with a pair of revolvers and tells every man to put his hands up. He says his name is Stingaree, and he has come only for the music.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Stingaree
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Stingaree about?
It follows a dandy bushranger in colonial Australia through ten linked tales. He holds up coaches, banks and a church service, loves music and prides himself on avoiding bloodshed. The tales pair him with a range of people, from singers to police.
Who is Stingaree based on?
The tales present Stingaree as a fictional bushranger. Oswald Melvin compares him with Ben Hall and Ned Kelly, but the stories do not identify a model for him.
Do I need to read the tales in order?
The tales run in a loose sequence, beginning with Hilda Bouverie's lonely life in the bush, but each one tells its own story. Each tale has its own setting, and you can enjoy it on its own.
The author
E. W. Hornung
1866–1921 · English crime novelist
Ernest William Hornung (1866–1921) was a British writer born in Middlesbrough, England. He lived in Australia from 1884 to 1886 before returning to England. He wrote the Raffles stories, including The Amateur Cracksman (1899) and A Thief in the Night (1905). He died in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France.
More by E. W. Hornung
All 4 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
