Consignment

Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 23K words
Chapters: 3

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.Consignment by Alan Edward NourseAuthor: Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Dec 5, 2012

Editor's review

This is an English-language science fiction short story by American author Alan Edward Nourse, digitized by Project Gutenberg and classified under American and Canadian literature. Nourse himself had a medical background, and his science fiction often carries a professional perspective; this clue helps readers notice how the work handles the relationship between scientific premises and his characters' circumstances. As a short story, its strength lies in its compact length: it can be finished in a single sitting and still leave time to reflect on the speculative questions behind its premise. Readers are advised not to chase plot alone but to watch how the author establishes rules, creates tension within limited space, and whether the ending leaves questions worth discussing. The Project Gutenberg edition is a free electronic text, suitable for reading in installments on a phone or e-reader during a commute or before bed. Since the available information does not elaborate on the plot, readers can note key premises and questions as they go and discuss them with like-minded readers afterward for a richer understanding.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classic English-language science fiction short stories
Readers who want to finish a complete story in fragmented time
Readers interested in the early development of American science fiction
Readers willing to think about scientific premises and ethical questions while reading

Not a good fit for

Readers who only read long-form works and avoid short stories
Readers who need a Chinese translation to read smoothly
Beginners who expect detailed background notes and an introduction

Reading tips

Read it in one sitting, jotting down core premises and key turns as you go, then review your notes afterward.
Pay attention to the narrative perspective the author's medical background may bring, and observe how scientific premises affect the characters' choices.
After finishing, discuss the questions left by the ending with like-minded readers, or write a short reading response to sort out the speculative points.

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 novel a full-length work or a short story?

The information labels it as Consignment, a short story classified under American and Canadian literature. Its compact length makes it suitable for finishing in one sitting. Specific page or word counts are not given; readers can arrange their reading time according to the actual length once they open the electronic text.

What background of the author Nourse is worth noting?

The information shows the author is Alan Edward Nourse (1928–1992), an American writer. According to common public knowledge, he had a medical background, and his science fiction often carries a professional perspective. While reading, notice how the work handles the relationship between scientific premises and the characters' circumstances, but do not infer specific plot details from this.

Is the Project Gutenberg edition suitable for English learners?

This edition is an electronic text in the original English, without Chinese translation or modern annotations. Learners with some English reading ability can read it with dictionary tools and use it as close-reading material for a short story; if their English foundation is weaker, they are advised to choose an annotated edition or a bilingual reader first.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992 Author

Alan Edward Nourse (1928-1992) is a science fiction author with 24 works held in this collection, though public information about him is limited and biographical details remain to be filled in. Judging from the available titles, he wrote both novels and short stories, often centering on space exploration, medical ethics, and the risks of technology: titles such as Star Surgeon and Brightside Crossing suggest an interest in the intersection of interstellar travel and surgery, while An Ounce of Cure, Consignment, and Marley's Chain reveal a cool scrutiny of technological consequences. He was skilled at carrying speculation through tight plotting, placing ordinary people in extreme situations and using professional detail to heighten realism. Some short pieces, such as Meeting of the Board, adopt a satirical tone, showing that his style was not monolithic. His work had some influence among mid-twentieth-century English-language science fiction readers, but details of awards and sales cannot be verified and are therefore not speculated upon.