15 h 29 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 15 h 29 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens to honest living when a great fortune meets a world that expects you to spend and display it?
In Three Millions! or, The Way of the World, Oliver Optic takes up money and what it does to people. A great fortune stands at the heart of a tale about temptation, character, and society’s expectations. Wealth is more than a prize: it puts private choices under pressure.
Optic, the pen name of American teacher and writer William Taylor Adams, brings a plain moral voice to this world. Expectations about rank, display, and spending press on the characters. Clear, brisk prose, short scenes, and direct speech keep questions of honest living close to the surface.
What you’ll discover
- Wealth as a test Consider how a great fortune can test character rather than simply reward it.
- The pressure to display Explore a society where rank and spending place demands on private choices.
- Honesty under pressure Follow a moral tale that places temptation beside the demands of honest living.
- A direct moral voice Meet a storyteller who makes his purpose plain instead of hiding his lessons.
- Brisk, clear storytelling Enjoy short scenes and direct speech in an older style of American fiction.
Who will love it
This book suits you if you enjoy nineteenth century American stories with a strong moral voice, a mystery that builds scene by scene, and a love story tested by money, gossip, and honor.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A miser's will puts a price on marriage
- A rescue that rescues nobody
- Eugene's caution makes him seem cold
- Mary flees her father's house with Buckstone
- Europe brings news of ruin and Poppleton brings blood
- Dick Birch stands accused and the doctor smiles
- The rope, the weight, and the letter
- Money tests love and friendship
- Society punishes the wronged and forgives the clever
- A talkative narrator and a plot built on numbers
Who’s who
- Eugene HungerfordA proud, thoughtful young heir who wants to love freely and help the poor, but is held back by his fear of seeming bought.
- Mary KingmanA gentle, educated schoolteacher from a troubled island home who longs for love and a life of her own.
- Dick BirchEugene's loyal lawyer friend, blunt and honest, who falls for Julia and works to protect those he loves.
- Julia HungerfordEugene's bright, strong-minded sister, who reads widely, makes up her own mind, and will not be rushed into marriage.
- Eliot BuckstoneA handsome marine painter from New York with ready charm and a weakness for drink, who wins Mary in her hour of need.
- Dr. BilksA popular young physician with a fast horse and a smooth tongue, who wants to rise in Poppleton.
- Ross KingmanMary's hot-tempered brother, a ship carpenter, who fiercely protects his sister and will answer for what he does.
- Mrs. HungerfordEugene's practical mother, who raised her children on very little and hopes for their security and good name.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read today.
- 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.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
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.
Tre milioni! ovvero La maniera del mondo
by Oliver Optic
A miser's will gives Eugene Hungerford three million dollars if he marries and names a son John.
Medium level10–20 hours to readItaliano
Excellent
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
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What would you do if a will offered you three million dollars, but only if you married and had a legal son named John Hungerford? That is the question facing Eugene Hungerford, a young law student in a New England mill town, when his miserly uncle dies in Baltimore.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A miser's will puts a price on marriage
John Hungerford of Baltimore spends fifty years building a fortune. He starts with three thousand dollars and lives in a shabby house with simple habits. The narrator notes that when such a man dies, nobody asks what he was, only what he owned.
He has no son, and the lack stings him more than anything. When his brother's widow in Poppleton writes that her son Eugene cannot afford college, John sends two thousand dollars. Eugene wins the old man's quiet favor without even trying.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- Italiano
- Reading time
- 10 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Optic, Oliver. Three Millions! or, The Way of the World. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/three-millions-or-the-way-of-the-world.
Optic, O. (2026). Three millions! or, the way of the world. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/three-millions-or-the-way-of-the-world
Optic, Oliver. Three Millions! or, The Way of the World. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/three-millions-or-the-way-of-the-world.
@book{optic2026three,
author = {Optic, Oliver},
title = {Three Millions! or, The Way of the World},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/three-millions-or-the-way-of-the-world}
}
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 Tre milioni! ovvero La maniera del mondo
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 Three Millions by Oliver Optic about?
It follows Eugene Hungerford, who inherits a fortune with a condition: he must marry and have a son named John Hungerford. His love for Mary Kingman, a murder, and false suspicion against his friend Dick Birch drive the story.
Who is Dr. Bilks in Three Millions?
Dr. Bilks is a young, popular physician who settles in Poppleton and quickly befriends the Hungerfords. He tends Mary and Julia in their illnesses, becomes the family's trusted adviser, and plays a key part in the mystery surrounding Buckstone.
What does the will in Three Millions require?
John Hungerford's will leaves the income of three million dollars to his nephew Eugene. At age thirty, if married with a legal son named John Hungerford, Eugene gets everything. Otherwise the fortune is split into six parts among relatives and charities.
The author
Oliver Optic
1822–1897 · American children's author
Oliver Optic was the pen name of William Taylor Adams (1822–1897), an American author and teacher. Born in Medway, Massachusetts, he lived and worked in Boston. He wrote books for young readers during the nineteenth century, including The Yacht Club and Little by Little. He also served in the Massachusetts legislature.
More by Oliver Optic
Vedi tutti i suoi libriMore 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
