At the Post

Horace Leonard GoldProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 78K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. At the Post by H. L. Gold. Author: Gold, H. L. (Horace Leonard), 1914-1996. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: May 18, 2010

Editor's review

At the Post is a short work by H. L. Gold, issued as a free electronic text by Project Gutenberg. Gold was long active as an editor and writer in American popular science fiction, and this piece has a clear science-fiction sketch quality; the title "At the Post" suggests a premise built around duty, a job and an unexpected situation. It is short and tightly focused, typically driven by a clever idea that leads to a twist at the end. It serves as an introductory sample of mid-twentieth-century American science-fiction short writing and is also convenient for English learners as light extensive reading. Readers might attend to how the author quickly establishes a premise, creates tension and closes the story within a limited space, which helps in understanding the structure of genre short fiction. As a public-domain e-book the text is easy to obtain, but its language and attitudes bear the marks of its time and are best viewed through the lens of literary history and genre reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy English-language short science fiction and prefer idea-driven stories with twists
Fans who want to understand the writing style of early American science fiction magazines
English learners who need short English texts for extensive reading practice
Organizers of science fiction book clubs or classes who need public-domain short story materials

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long-form worldbuilding and complex character arcs
Those who are bothered by the period attitudes found in early science fiction
Chinese readers who are unwilling to read the English original at all

Reading tips

Read it straight through in one sitting, enjoy the ending twist, then go back and look for the foreshadowing and setup in the earlier text.
After reading, map out the story's premise, conflict, and resolution to appreciate the structural efficiency of short science fiction.
Compare it with other public-domain science fiction short stories from the same period and discuss common approaches to the "idea story."
English learners can rewrite one sentence per paragraph in simpler terms to check their comprehension.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this work science fiction or another genre?

The author, H. L. Gold, is known as a science fiction editor and writer, and this short story has the hallmarks of a science fiction sketch, driven by its premise and a twist. For specific genre details, it is best to read the original and judge for yourself.

Is it long? How long does it take to finish?

It is a short work of modest length. Readers who read English smoothly can usually finish it in one or two sittings, making it suitable for fragmented time or a single short reading session.

Do I need a background in science fiction to read it?

No. The story is short and its premise is focused, so beginner readers can follow it. If you are familiar with the writing conventions of mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazines, you will more easily appreciate its ingenuity and wit.

Why recommend reading the public-domain e-book edition?

The Project Gutenberg edition is free, easy to obtain, and convenient to search and cite. It suits individual reading, classroom distribution, and book club discussion, and it is also convenient for comparative study with other public-domain short stories.

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About the author

Horace Leonard Gold Author · American (Canadian-born) · 1914–1996

Horace Leonard Gold (1914–1996) was born in Montreal, Canada, and later became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was a science fiction writer and editor. In 1950 he founded Galaxy Science Fiction, using the magazine as a platform to push science fiction toward social, psychological, and satirical themes, and he discovered writers such as Ray Bradbury and Alfred Bester, exerting a profound influence on the development of twentieth-century science fiction. The library holds five of his works, including The Old Die Rich, Someone to Watch Over Me, At the Post, Bodyguard, and No Charge for Alterations, commonly classified under inspirational growth. His writing consists mainly of short stories, focusing on characters' circumstances and psychological portrayal, often observing social reality through satire, with concise plots and a pragmatic style. Public information is limited, and details of his life and the full scope of his work remain to be further examined.