Tillie

Rog PhillipsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 32K 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. Tillie by Rog Phillips. Author: Phillips, Rog, 1909-1965. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Jun 13, 2010

Editor's review

Tillie is by the American science fiction and pulp writer Rog Phillips (1909–1965) and was digitized and released by Project Gutenberg. The work continues the narrative tradition of mid-twentieth-century pulp magazines: it is short, built around a single central premise, briskly paced, and tightly focused on conflict. As you read, pay attention to how the author builds suspense and advances the plot within a limited space, and to how dialogue carries information. As a public-domain ebook, it is better suited as a sample for understanding how early English genre fiction was written than as a work to be judged by contemporary literary standards of character depth. Readers interested in science fiction and pulp literature can treat it as a light genre reading experience or use it as English extensive reading material.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in mid-twentieth-century American science fiction and pulp fiction
English learners who want to practice extensive reading with short English works
Literature enthusiasts studying narrative techniques in early genre magazines

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long-form worldbuilding and complex science fiction settings
Readers unaccustomed to English originals or early pulp style

Reading tips

Read it through once to feel the narrative rhythm, then go back to see how the central premise unfolds
Note the key information conveyed in dialogue and observe how a short story advances plot efficiently
Read alongside other public-domain short stories by the same author to observe his habitual techniques

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 is the background of the author Rog Phillips?

Sources show that Rog Phillips was born in 1909 and died in 1965 and was an American science fiction and pulp writer. Tillie was digitized and included by Project Gutenberg and is a public-domain work under the category of American and Canadian literature.

Is this book suitable for learning English?

It can be used as English extensive reading material. The work is relatively short with straightforward narration, making it suitable for practicing rapid reading and guessing word meanings from context. However, it is in an early pulp style, and some expressions differ from contemporary English, so it is advisable to use it with reference checking.

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About the author

Rog Phillips Author · American · 1909–1965

Rog Phillips (1909–1965), pen name of Roger Phillip Graham, was an American science fiction writer born on February 20, 1909, in Spokane, Washington. He was active in science fiction magazines during the 1940s and 1950s, publishing mainly in outlets such as Amazing Stories and known for his short fiction. Seven of his works are included in the collection, among them The Old Martians, Unthinkable, The Gallery, The Unthinking Destroyer, Tillie, Ye of Little Faith, and Cube Root of Conquest. His notable short story "The Yellow Pill" was nominated for a Hugo Award, and he also wrote the fan commentary column "The Club House." Public information on his life and full body of work is limited, and existing accounts center on these magazine short stories, the award nomination, and his science fiction fan activities.