Membership Drive

Murray F. YacoProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 20K 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.Membership Drive by Murray F. YacoAuthor: Yaco, Murray F.,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 18, 2010

Editor's review

Membership Drive is a short English-language science fiction story by Murray F. Yaco, published in the mid-twentieth century and now recirculated as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Taking the everyday matter of recruiting members as its point of entry, the story unfolds its science-fictional premise in a compact, tightly paced form that has the crispness typical of the era's science fiction magazine shorts. Its value lies not in grand spectacle but in extrapolating a complete situation from a small opening; readers can finish it in an hour or two and enjoy a clean, well-executed genre read. For those studying early American short science fiction or seeking an inexpensive way to encounter public-domain science fiction texts, it is a light but representative piece. The electronic edition is easy to search and cite, and also suits beginners looking for English extensive reading material.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Science fiction fans who want to finish a complete story in an hour or two
Intermediate English learners who need short English texts for extensive reading practice
Readers and researchers studying mid-twentieth-century American short science fiction
People accustomed to reading public-domain works in fragments on electronic devices

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting the length of a novel and complex world-building
Readers unaccustomed to the narrative pace and period feel of early science fiction
Beginner readers who need a Chinese translation or a bilingual edition

Reading tips

First read it straight through, without looking up unfamiliar words, to grasp the overall direction of the story and the logic of its premise.
On a second pass, go back and trace how the premise is gradually revealed, paying attention to the author's groundwork.
If using it for English study, select two or three passages for close reading and note the period-specific expressions.

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 book a novel or a short story? How long does it take to read?

The materials indicate that it is a short English-language work collected by Project Gutenberg, limited in length; most readers can finish it in an hour or two. Setting aside one continuous reading session makes the story's pace easier to follow than splitting it into several sittings.

Can I read it if my English isn't good?

The original is in English and carries the language habits of the mid-twentieth century. Readers with intermediate English reading ability can finish it with the help of a dictionary; if you need a Chinese translation or a bilingual edition, this book does not provide one, so you may wish to choose another edition.

Why is this book published by Project Gutenberg?

Project Gutenberg is the earliest project to offer free electronic books, founded by Michael Hart in 1971. This book is among the public-domain texts it collects, so it is released as a free electronic edition, making it easy for readers to obtain and cite.

Comments

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About the author

Murray F. Yaco Author · American · 1927–2013

Murray F. Yaco (1927–2013) was an American science fiction writer. Born on December 26, 1927, in Queens, New York, he died on June 1, 2013. During World War II he served in Japan, and afterward worked as a war correspondent. From the late 1950s to the 1970s he published a small number of short stories in science fiction magazines such as Amazing Stories and Analog. Three of his works are included in the library collection: Membership Drive, Unspecialist, and No Moving Parts. His short fiction is known for its humorous style and left a modest mark on short-story writing in science fiction magazines. Public information about his life and work is limited; the available account rests mainly on his published stories and magazine records, and readers in China remain relatively unfamiliar with him and his writing.