About Progress and Poverty
What it's about
Why does poverty grow as cities grow richer? Henry George's 1879 bestseller answers with a settler on an empty prairie whose land becomes valuable only because neighbours arrive, and proposes a 'single tax' on land values in place of all other taxes.
Who it's for
Anyone who has wondered why rents and house prices rise faster than wages, and students following Korea's debates about land and housing taxes.
- Level
- CEFR B2
- Length
- 3 parts · about 616 words
- Reading time
- about 6 minutes (~2 min per part)
- Author
- Henry George
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Looking for something easier or harder? See Easy English books by level (A1–B2).
Reading Progress and Poverty in English: quick answers
- What English level is Progress and Poverty on SeoJae Story?
- Progress and Poverty by Henry George is retold in simplified English at CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate). It is split into 3 short parts, and every sentence has a Korean translation you can show or hide, so a learner at that level can follow the story without a dictionary.
- Is Progress and Poverty hard to read in English?
- The original is written for native readers, with long sentences and older vocabulary, so most learners find it hard. This retelling keeps the story but uses simpler English at CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate), so if you read English at that level you can follow it, and the Korean translation is there for any line that stops you. If it feels too hard, start with an easier book one level down.
- How long does it take to read Progress and Poverty in simple English?
- About 6 minutes of reading in total — roughly 2 minutes per part across 3 parts. Listening to the audio narration, reviewing the vocabulary and taking each part's comprehension check adds a little more.
- Is this the full, unabridged text of Progress and Poverty?
- No. It is an abridged graded retelling written for English learners that follows the story of the original in 3 parts. Every part also lets you read the matching unabridged chapters from the original, split into short readings.
- Is Progress and Poverty free to read here?
- Yes. All 3 parts are free to read online, with the Korean translation, audio narration, vocabulary flashcards and comprehension questions included.
- Is Progress and Poverty in the public domain?
- Yes. Henry George's Progress and Poverty is in the public domain, and the original text is freely available from Project Gutenberg (eBook #55308). SeoJae Story's simplified retelling and Korean translation are original text written for learners.