Glossary
Words from the books
The people, places and words behind the stories, in plain English. Tap a letter, or search.
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2026 Edition
The new edition of Jacob’s Gold (part 1), published in 2026 and edited by F. Matt Hogle: errors in names and some…
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Arizona Territory
Arizona before it became a state in 1912. The Shadow Treasure and Warriors of the White Mountain are set there.
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California Gold Rush
The rush of fortune seekers to California after gold was found there in 1848; most arrived in 1849, the “forty-niners”. In Jacob’s…
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Comb-Bound
Bound with a plastic comb through a row of punched holes. For years Frankie A. Maxwell made a Christmas book every year…
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Compilation
A book that gathers several stories. Fun on the Farm and Furry & Feathered Animal Adventures have five each, Farm Friends three,…
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Dutch Weiser
Jacob Weiser, nicknamed Dutch: Jacob Waltz’s partner and best friend in the Jacob’s Gold saga, also from Germany. In Texas Ranger he…
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Hand-Painted Illustrations
Frankie A. Maxwell’s original artwork. She painted the covers of all the Classy Reads novels and illustrated every one of the large-print…
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House of Maxwell
The family of storytellers behind Classy Reads: Larry L. Maxwell, Frankie A. Maxwell and her son, F. Matt Hogle. The site’s own…
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ISBN
International Standard Book Number: the 13-digit number that identifies one edition of a book. Jacob’s Gold 2026 Edition is ISBN 979-8178212783; The…
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Jacob Waltz
One of the two heroes of the Jacob’s Gold saga: a young man from Germany who arrives in California at the start…
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Jacob’s Gold
The Old West saga at the heart of the Classy Reads novels, by Larry L. Maxwell: Jacob’s Gold, Partners, Texas Ranger and…
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Kindle Direct Publishing
Amazon’s self-publishing service. Since 2018 the family has published the stories through it, “so they could be shared and loved by all”.…
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Large Print
Books set in bigger, clearer type, so the words are easier to read. All sixteen Classy Reads picture books are illustrated large-print…
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Master Story Teller
What the family calls Larry L. Maxwell (1932–2019), author of the Jacob’s Gold saga and of over a hundred and twenty rhyming…
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Old West
The American frontier of the 1800s, where all six Classy Reads novels are set. Against the Western Sky takes place before the…
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Picture Book
The sixteen Classy Reads picture books are Larry L. Maxwell’s original rhyming stories with full-color artwork hand-painted by Frankie A. Maxwell, in…
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Read Aloud
Reading a book out loud to someone. The Classy Reads picture books are written in rhyme and in large print, which makes…
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Rhyming Story
Every Classy Reads picture book is told in rhyme. The family’s rule for its stories: they “must be original, must teach moral…
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Superstition Mountains
A mountain range east of Phoenix, Arizona, and the setting of The Shadow Treasure, in which Dutch Weiser and Jacob Waltz stumble…
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Territory of Alaska
Alaska before it became a state in 1959. Larry L. Maxwell went there at 19, newly married, and most of his nine…
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