Project Gutenberg 2006-06-05 Public domain in the USA. 192 Runciman, James 1852 1891 The Chequers Being the Natural History of a Public-House, Set Forth in a Loafer's Diary Produced by Steven Gibbs, LN Yaddanapudi and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Chequers" by James Runciman is a novel written in the late 19th century. The work delves into the grim realities of life in and around a public house, narrated from the perspective of the protagonist known as the Loafer, who interacts with various characters belonging to the lower social strata. The book explores themes of alcoholism, social decay, and the complexity of human relationships through the observations and anecdotes of the Loafer. The opening portion introduces the reader to the unforgiving environment of a public house, emphasizing the stark contrast between the idealized notion of social drinking and the despondent realities faced by its patrons. The narrator establishes himself as an equal among the regulars, revealing his role as an observer and participant in their daily struggles. Through vivid descriptions of the bar's atmosphere and the behavior of its visitors, Runciman sets a tone of gritty realism that pervades the narrative. It becomes evident that the characters caught in this cycle of drink and despair are not merely subjects of pity; they illustrate the intricate dynamics of survival, companionship, and moral ambiguity within a society marked by vice and ruin. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 78.3 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en England -- Social conditions -- 19th century -- Fiction PR Text Category: Novels Category: British Literature 308711 2025-08-08T05:00:42.643697 text/html 310018 2006-06-05T15:43:08 text/html 193905 2025-08-08T05:00:48.690646 application/epub+zip 194260 2025-08-08T05:00:44.529635 application/epub+zip 194259 2025-08-08T05:00:43.357719 application/epub+zip 326034 2025-08-08T05:00:51.963622 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 299031 2025-08-08T05:00:47.916641 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 294458 2022-09-09T04:13:46.651490 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 275713 2025-08-08T05:00:42.046664 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 275723 2006-06-05T15:43:08 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 275721 2006-06-05T15:43:08 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20054 2025-08-08T05:00:52.105636 application/rdf+xml 10480 2025-08-08T05:00:43.859707 image/jpeg 2949 2025-08-08T05:00:43.607638 image/jpeg 112751 2006-06-05T15:43:10 application/octet-stream application/zip 121141 2006-06-05T15:43:10 application/octet-stream application/zip 112709 2006-06-05T15:43:10 application/octet-stream application/zip 181757 2025-08-08T05:00:42.670709 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia