Shipping Clerk

Samachson, Joseph, 1906-1980Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 33K words
Chapters: 4

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.Shipping Clerk by Joseph SamachsonAuthor: Samachson, Joseph, 1906-1980,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Dec 30, 2015

Editor's review

"Shipping Clerk" is a novella or short story by the American science fiction writer Joseph Samachson, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook. Samachson wrote for science fiction magazines for many years, and his work often enters future or alien settings through ordinary occupational identities, using light premises to carry observations on labor, identity, and technological society. This piece, titled after the ordinary position of "shipping clerk," continues the readability and ingenuity of short fiction from the golden age of science fiction magazines; it is not long and serves as a sample for understanding the mid-twentieth-century American science fiction short story. It does not aim for grand epic but completes a premise extrapolation or twist within limited space, with a low barrier to entry. For science fiction fans, it can be a supplement for a short reading session; for readers studying the style of works from the science fiction magazine era, it also has some genre reference value. It is suggested to read it as a short story and not to expect long-form world-building.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy golden-age science fiction short stories and want light reading
Researchers studying mid-twentieth-century American science fiction magazine works
English learners who want to read a complete English short story in fragmented time
Readers interested in the combination of occupational themes and science fiction premises

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long epic world-building and complex character arcs
Readers hoping for in-depth exploration of cutting-edge contemporary science fiction issues
Beginners who need detailed annotations or introductions to understand English short stories

Reading tips

Read it in one sitting to preserve the full effect of the premise twist.
After reading, look back at details in the opening to notice the foreshadowing and hints the author planted.
Compare with short stories from science fiction magazines of the same period to observe common approaches to occupational themes.
English learners may read through first and then look up words, to avoid interrupting the reading rhythm.

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 a novel or a short story?

It is a novella or short science fiction work, limited in length and suitable for reading in one or two sittings. Structurally it is closer to the short story format of science fiction magazines, built around one premise or turn rather than long-form multi-thread development.

What genre does the author Samachson mainly write?

According to public information, Joseph Samachson was an American science fiction writer who wrote short stories for science fiction magazines for many years, with works mostly published in mid-twentieth-century science fiction periodicals. This piece also belongs to his magazine short story output and carries the typical features of science fiction short stories of that period.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading material for upper-intermediate English learners: short in length, complete in plot, easy to finish in one sitting and review. But the work is from an earlier era, and some expressions differ from modern English; beginners would do best to use a dictionary or choose an annotated edition.

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About the author

Samachson, Joseph, 1906-1980 Author

Joseph Samachson (1906–1980) is an author about whom little biographical information is publicly available, yet whose works show considerable variety in subject matter. The library holds 13 of his works, including Picture Bride, A Feast of Demons, The Weather on Mercury, Unwelcomed Visitor, Bedside Manner, The Hunters, Runaway, and Dead Man's Planet. Judging from these titles, his writing ranges across science fiction and fantasy, alien environments, strange visitors, and suspenseful human situations, often advancing the narrative through vividly imagined premises and combining imagination with the appeal of popular storytelling. Because public sources are limited, his nationality, full life story, and the concrete course of his writing career remain unknown; the existing entry relies chiefly on the titles and thematic features of these works to present his profile as a writer, offering readers a reference point when approaching his work.