Double or Nothing

Jack SharkeyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 44K words
Chapters: 5

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.Double or Nothing by Jack SharkeyAuthor: Sharkey, Jack, 1931-1992,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 26, 2013

Editor's review

This book is a work by Jack Sharkey (1931–1992), prepared by Project Gutenberg as a free eBook. As the earliest provider of electronic books, Project Gutenberg has its texts proofread and formatted by volunteers, making this a useful entry point for understanding twentieth-century American popular literature and early eBook resources. Sharkey's writing tends toward genre fiction; this book is short, the English original is clear, and it lends itself to reading in segments during a commute or a brief sitting. Readers may treat it as a digital humanities archive: read the story, and observe how public-domain eBooks are produced and circulated. The book includes no introduction or notes, so it suits readers who already have some English reading habits and are willing to look things up themselves. In a classroom, it could serve as supplementary material for discussing twentieth-century American genre fiction and the use of public-domain resources.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy twentieth-century American genre fiction and want an easy English original to read
Resource researchers interested in Project Gutenberg and the development of public-domain eBooks
Intermediate and advanced English learners who need short English materials for extensive reading practice
Literature enthusiasts who want to learn about Jack Sharkey's style

Not a good fit for

Beginner English readers who need detailed notes or a Chinese introduction
Readers expecting the fast pace of a modern bestseller
Academic readers seeking systematic research materials on the author's life and works

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then revisit the period language in dialogue and narration.
Use the search function of the Project Gutenberg eBook to mark unfamiliar words, and organize them after finishing.
Read it alongside other public-domain novels from Project Gutenberg to observe common features of genre writing.
Read one or two chapters at a time and take brief notes to avoid fatigue from long English texts.

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

What English level is needed to read this book?

The original is in English, with sentence structures and vocabulary characteristic of twentieth-century popular literature. Readers with roughly CET-4 reading ability who are used to consulting a dictionary can try it; if you rarely read long English texts, start with short sections or read in segments.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg is the earliest project providing free eBooks. Its texts are prepared and proofread by volunteers, generally preserving the original content along with copyright notes. This edition is easy to search and copy, but it has no introduction, notes, or uniform formatting such as modern publications offer.

Is this book suitable for learning English?

It can be used as extensive reading material, but not as the only textbook. Its language is genre-oriented, and some expressions carry a period flavor; use it with a dictionary and notes, focusing on common expressions in narration and dialogue.

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About the author

Jack Sharkey Author · American · 1931–1992

Jack Sharkey (1931–1992) was an American author born John Michael Sharkey in Chicago. From 1959 he published science fiction in magazines such as Fantastic and Galaxy. His representative works include The Secret Martians, The Dope on Mars, and This Is Magic, Dummy!, as well as Arcturus Times Three, The Business, As Usual, and Minor Detail. His science fiction often draws on Mars and future societies, with ingenious plots, humorous language, and a satirical edge. He later turned to playwriting, publishing more than eighty scripts under his real name and four pseudonyms, many of them concerned with personal growth and inspiration. Eleven of his works are held in this collection. Public information about his life and career is limited.