The Rise of Silas Lapham
Silas Lapham made his money in mineral paint and now wants something money cannot buy: a place among Boston’s old families. William Dean Howells published this landmark of American realism in 1885, tracing how a blunt, self-made manufacturer handles sudden wealth and the social climbing it invites. A courtship between his daughter and the son of a patrician family draws the two worlds together, while a risky business decision forces Lapham toward a choice between ruin and dishonesty. The title carries Howells’s irony, since Silas truly rises only as his fortune falls. Written in plain, observant prose, it remains one of the finest portraits of Gilded Age ambition and conscience. Read it here as a free PDF and EPUB edition.
About the Author
William Dean Howells (1837 to 1920) was one of the most influential American men of letters of his era, an editor, critic, and prolific novelist. He championed literary realism, supported writers like Mark Twain, and used his own fiction to examine money, class, and conscience…
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Listen to The Rise of Silas Lapham Audiobook Free
Listen to The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells free online. The full audiobook (12 hr 36 min, 27 chapters, read by volunteer narrators) streams free on this page.
The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapter 1 | 42:52 | |
| 2 | Chapter 2 | 30:32 | |
| 3 | Chapter 3 | 19:32 | |
| 4 | Chapter 4 | 27:19 | |
| 5 | Chapter 5 | 21:17 | |
| 6 | Chapter 6 | 24:18 | |
| 7 | Chapter 7 | 18:04 | |
| 8 | Chapter 8 | 30:22 | |
| 9 | Chapter 9 | 36:56 | |
| 10 | Chapter 10 | 23:08 | |
| 11 | Chapter 11 | 36:49 | |
| 12 | Chapter 12 | 34:08 | |
| 13 | Chapter 13 | 31:17 | |
| 14 | Chapter 14 | 43:59 | |
| 15 | Chapter 15 | 9:28 | |
| 16 | Chapter 16 | 18:27 | |
| 17 | Chapter 17 | 19:35 | |
| 18 | Chapter 18 | 19:05 | |
| 19 | Chapter 19 | 29:59 | |
| 20 | Chapter 20 | 25:40 | |
| 21 | Chapter 21 | 17:52 | |
| 22 | Chapter 22 | 10:17 | |
| 23 | Chapter 23 | 31:12 | |
| 24 | Chapter 24 | 34:50 | |
| 25 | Chapter 25 | 41:19 | |
| 26 | Chapter 26 | 32:43 | |
| 27 | Chapter 27 | 44:38 |
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