The Story of a Bad Boy (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Children's Adventure Book: Autobiographical NovelBy Thomas Bailey Aldrich
Length7h 4m
About this audiobook
Published in 1870, The Story of a Bad Boy offers a lively, semi-autobiographical portrait of Tom Bailey's boyhood in the New England seaport town of Rivermouth, a fictionalized Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Its episodic adventures—schoolboy pranks, friendships, family tensions, and encounters with death—are rendered in a clear, ironic, and affectionate prose that rejects the moralizing conventions of much nineteenth-century juvenile fiction. In American literary history, it stands as an important precursor to the realistic boyhood narratives of Mark Twain. Thomas Bailey Aldrich drew deeply on his own childhood for the book's atmosphere and incidents. Born in Portsmouth in 1836 and later associated with Boston's literary culture, Aldrich became a poet, novelist, and influential editor of The Atlantic Monthly. His early years in New Hampshire, followed by broader exposure to urban and literary life, enabled him to recall boyhood with both intimacy and artistic discipline. This book is warmly recommended to readers interested in American realism, childhood studies, and the evolution of juvenile literature. Its charm lies not merely in mischief, but in its humane recognition that childhood is comic, unruly, painful, and morally complex.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.9 (331)
Includes Goodreads
GenreChildren's Literature
Length7 hrs 4 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateSep 4, 2019
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Chapter One—In Which I Introduce Myself
Show all chaptersShow less
6Chapter Two—In Which I Entertain Peculiar Views
7Chapter Three—On Board the Typhoon
8Chapter Four—Rivermouth
9Chapter Five—The Nutter House and the Nutter Family
10Chapter Six—Lights and Shadows
11Chapter Seven—One Memorable Night
12Chapter Eight—The Adventures of a Fourth
13Chapter Nine—I Become an R. M. C.
14Chapter Ten—I Fight Conway
15Chapter Eleven—All About Gypsy
16Chapter Twelve—Winter at Rivermouth
17Chapter Thirteen—The Snow Fort on Slatter's Hill
18Chapter Fourteen—The Cruise of the Dolphin
19Chapter Fifteen—An Old Acquaintance Turns Up
20Chapter Sixteen—In Which Sailor Ben Spins a Yarn
21Chapter Seventeen—How We Astonished the Rivermouthians
22Chapter Eighteen—A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go
23Chapter Nineteen—I Become A Blighted Being
24Chapter Twenty—I Prove Myself To Be the Grandson of My Grandfather
25Chapter Twenty-One—In Which I Leave Rivermouth
26Chapter Twenty-Two—Exeunt Omnes
27Analysis
28Reflection
29Memorable Quotes
More from Thomas Bailey Aldrich
The Stillwater TragedyThomas Bailey Aldrich5h 58m3.5 (224)$16 · $0.00
The Stillwater Tragedy (Annotated)Thomas Bailey Aldrich8h 13m$2 · $0.00
Our New Neighbors At PonkapogThomas Bailey Aldrich12m3.5 (10)$2 · $0.00
A Struggle For LifeThomas Bailey Aldrich26m$2 · $0.00
Mademoiselle Olympe ZabriskiThomas Bailey Aldrich0m$2 · $0.00
A Rivermouth RomanceThomas Bailey Aldrich15m$2 · $0.00
Daisy's Necklace, and What Came of ItThomas Bailey Aldrich3h 30m$2 · $0.00
An Old Town By the SeaThomas Bailey Aldrich2h 7m$2 · $0.00
The Cruise of the DolphinThomas Bailey Aldrich29m$2 · $0.00
Quite SoThomas Bailey Aldrich0m$1 · $0.00
Marjorie DawThomas Bailey Aldrich1h 32m3.6 (90)$2 · $0.00
The Story of a Bad BoyThomas Bailey Aldrich6h 3m3.7 (1.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Story of a Bad Boy (Children's Book)Thomas Bailey Aldrich7h 6m4.2 (2K)$1.99 · $0.00
Pastoral Life and Moral Dilemmas – 3 Classic Countryside TalesThomas Bailey Aldrich, George Sand, R. D. Blackmore22h 8m$2
Little Lord Fauntleroy (Annotated)Frances Hodgson Burnett7h 56m4.6 (1.5K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Nutcracker and The Mouse King (Annotated)E.T.A. Hoffmann4h 4m4.6 (1.5K)$2 · $0.00
REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM & NEW CHRONICLES OF REBECCA (Children's Book Classics) (Annotated)Kate Douglas Wiggin15h 32m4.6 (1.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
Just William (Illustrated) (Annotated)Richmal Crompton6h 30m4.6 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Labors of Hercules BealGary D. Schmidt8h 17m4.6 (10.4K)$8 · $0.00
Clancy of the Overflow (The Matilda Saga, #9)Jackie French14h 24m4.6 (471)$33 · $0.00
The Great Fairy Tales - Oscar Wilde Edition (Illustrated) (Annotated)Oscar Wilde6h 31m4.6 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll3h4.5 (5.9K)$4.99 · $0.00
The Boy Who Followed His Father into AuschwitzJeremy Dronfield6h 54m4.5 (28.5K)$24 · $0.00
Bat and the End of EverythingElana K. Arnold2h 40m4.6 (2.3K)$18 · $0.00
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #6: Ghost HunterMichelle Paver6h 20m4.5 (11.7K)$24 · $0.00
Masterminds: PaybackGordon Korman6h 51m4.5 (5.8K)$24 · $0.00
The House at Pooh CornerA. A. Milne, E. H. Shepard3h 6m4.5 (107.8K)$2 · $0.00
Anne of Green Gables (Annotated)Lucy Maud Montgomery13h 1m4.5 (2.8K)$2 · $0.00
The Guardian Herd: StormboundJennifer Lynn Alvarez6h 19m4.5 (2.3K)$24 · $0.00
The One and Only FamilyKatherine Applegate3h 14m4.5 (7.5K)$18 · $0.00
Other Words for HomeJasmine Warga3h 50m4.5 (42.8K)$20 · $0.00
Amari and the Night BrothersB. B. Alston11h 11m4.5 (42.2K)$29 · $0.00
The Keepers #4: The Starlit LoomTed Sanders10h 56m4.6 (361)$29 · $0.00
Winnie-the-PoohAlan Alexander Milne2h 52m4.5 (401.1K)$3 · $0.00
You may also like
Mean Dads for a Better AmericaTom Shillue6h 37m4.2 (342)$24 · $0.00
Emily of New MoonL. M. Montgomery12h 23m4.3 (56.5K)$2.30 · $0.00
A Country Doctor and Selected Stories and SketchesSarah Orne Jewett14h 30m4.1 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
Welcome HomeLucia Berlin4h 14m3.9 (2.1K)$17
Jack’s BookBarry Gifford, Lawrence Lee11h 12m4.2 (1.3K)$30 · $0.00
The Story of a Bad BoyThomas Bailey Aldrich6h 3m3.7 (1.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Mill on the FlossGeorge Eliot21h 12m4.0 (77.9K)Free
The Getting of WisdomHenry Handel Richardson7h 19m3.6 (2.3K)$17
A Song Called HomeSara Zarr7h 37m4.1 (1.6K)$26 · $0.00
Emily of New MoonLucy Maud Montgomery13h 47m4.2 (66.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Mill on the FlossGeorge Eliot22h 16m4.0 (76.5K)$2.30 · $0.00
Personal Memoirs of U. S. GrantUlysses S. Grant30h 36m4.4 (18.1K)$2 · $0.00
The Mill on the Floss (Annotated)George Eliot24h 23m3.8 (60.1K)$2 · $0.00
The Story of a Bad Boy (Children's Book)Thomas Bailey Aldrich7h 6m4.2 (2K)$1.99 · $0.00
North and SouthElizabeth Gaskell19h 35m4.3 (239.7K)$21 · $0.00
A Summer LifeGary Soto3h 51m3.4 (295)$20
A BOY'S TOWN ADVENTURES: The Flight of Pony Baker, Boy Life, A Boy's Town & Years of My YouthWilliam Dean Howells24h 21m$2 · $0.00
You're Better Than MeBonnie McFarlane7h 44m4.0 (711)$26 · $0.00
Drives A Bit FunnyStephen Corby7h$29 · $0.00
THE FLIGHT OF PONY BAKER: A Boy's Town Story (Illustrated) (Annotated)William Dean Howells5h 49m3.5 (57)$2 · $0.00