Adolescents Only

Cox, Irving E., 1917-2001Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 61K words
Chapters: 7

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.Adolescents Only by Irving E. CoxAuthor: Cox, Irving E., 1917-2001,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 2, 2010

Editor's review

Adolescents Only is a science fiction short story by Irving E. Cox, released as a free ebook through Project Gutenberg. Cox was active in the mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine era, and his work often carries the typical premises and speculative flavor of that period. This short story centers on the premise of "adolescents only," which readily evokes themes of generational relations, social order, and growing up, making it a suitable sample for understanding early science fiction magazine work. The Project Gutenberg edition is the original English text; it is not long, and the reading threshold is relatively manageable. Because it is a public-domain ebook without a modern editor's introduction, readers must fill in the author and period background themselves. Overall, it is better suited to science fiction fans' extended reading than to readers seeking deep literary quality.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in mid-twentieth-century science fiction short stories
Science fiction fans who want to practice English reading in a shorter format
Genre fiction readers drawn to generational and adolescent themes
Students or researchers needing public-domain English science fiction material

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer contemporary science fiction and look for novel premises
Beginners with weak English who need sentence-by-sentence annotation
Serious literary readers seeking literary depth and complex characterization

Reading tips

Read it once to grasp the core premise, then consider the social metaphor behind it.
Consult background material on mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazines to understand the work's place in its era.
Compare it with other science fiction short stories from the same period to observe similarities and differences in common themes and 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

Is this book a complete novel or a short story?

This is a short science fiction work by Irving E. Cox. It is not long and can be read in one or two sittings. The Project Gutenberg edition is the original English ebook without an added introduction or notes, so readers can set their own reading pace.

What is the author Cox's background?

According to the available information, Irving E. Cox (1917–2001) was an American author active in the mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine era. His work appeared mostly in genre publications of the time; detailed biographical and writing information requires outside sources, as this book itself contains no author introduction.

What English level is roughly required?

As a mid-twentieth-century science fiction short story, the language is generally not very difficult, though it contains period usage and genre-specific expressions. Readers with intermediate English reading ability can usually finish it with a dictionary. For detailed annotation, it is advisable to use other annotated editions or supplementary materials.

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About the author

Cox, Irving E., 1917-2001 Author

Irving E. Cox (1917–2001) was an American science fiction writer about whom public information is limited. Ten of his works are held in this collection, including Impact, The Cartels Jungle, The Guardians, The Instant of Now, Miracle by Price, Firth's World, Love Story, and Adolescents Only. Judging from these titles, he was active in the mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine era and worked mainly in short and novella forms. His themes often involve future social structures, the workings of business and power, the ethical dilemmas raised by technology, and the situation of adolescents. Titles such as The Cartels Jungle suggest an interest in economic combines and institutionalized power, while The Guardians and Adolescents Only point to guardian figures and generational relations. His prose is generally direct and brisk, emphasizing plot momentum and conceptual presentation, placing him among the writers of the Golden Age science fiction milieu. Because biographical material is scarce, his specific career and the full scope of his work await more complete bibliographic and archival research.