The Beginning

Henry Louis HasseProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 37K 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.The Beginning by Henry HasseAuthor: Hasse, Henry, 1913-1977,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Dec 28, 2008

Editor's review

Henry Hasse was an early American science fiction author, and The Beginning is one of his short works, included in Project Gutenberg's free e-book library. The work is short and carries the typical flavor of mid-20th-century science fiction, making it a good introductory sample for understanding short science fiction of that period. Project Gutenberg itself is the starting point of e-book history, founded by Michael Hart in 1971, and this background gives the book an extra layer of meaning in the history of digital publishing beyond the reading itself. Readers can treat it as a lightweight English-language science fiction short story, or use it to observe how early science fiction imagined technology, beginnings, and the unknown. Since the original is in English and limited in length, the barrier lies mainly in language rather than density of thought, making it suitable for reading in fragments of time. Overall, it is not a representative work of grand narrative but a low-cost sample of science fiction literature, of some reference value to those studying early science fiction or the Gutenberg project.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want a low-cost introduction to early English-language science fiction short stories
Readers interested in Project Gutenberg and the history of eBooks
Learners who need lightweight English original texts for extensive reading practice
Researchers collecting mid-20th-century science fiction documents

Not a good fit for

Science fiction readers expecting a full-length, fully built world
Beginners with weak English reading skills who need Chinese annotations
Readers seeking the strong plotting of contemporary science fiction

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then revisit the opening's setup of "the beginning."
Read alongside historical material on Project Gutenberg to understand its documentary context.
Use it as English extensive reading material, reading one short section at a time and noting new words.

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?

The materials indicate it is a short story by Henry Hasse, not long, suitable for reading in one sitting or a few; it should not be read with the expectations of a novel.

What English level is needed to read it?

The original is in English, and the difficulty comes mainly from the word usage of early science fiction. A moderate English reading ability is enough to try; use tools for unfamiliar words, and close reading word by word is unnecessary.

Why is this book connected to Project Gutenberg?

This book is released by Project Gutenberg. Founded by Michael Hart in 1971, the project was the first to offer free eBooks, so this book also carries background information from the history of digital publishing.

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

Henry Louis Hasse Author · American · 1913–1977

Henry Louis Hasse (1913–1977) was an American science fiction writer, born in Indiana and died in Los Angeles. He was active during the pulp magazine era, and his best-known works include Pendulum, co-written with Ray Bradbury, and the novella He Who Shrank. Four of his works are included here, such as We're Friends, Now, One Purple Hope!, Walls of Acid, and The Beginning, commonly classified under inspirational growth. Public information about his life and creative career is limited, and existing accounts focus mainly on the works mentioned above. His writing consists chiefly of science fiction short stories and novellas, with themes reflecting the imaginative character of the pulp magazine period, and he left a certain impression on early science fiction readers.