Big Baby

Jack SharkeyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 78K words
Chapters: 8

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.Big Baby by Jack SharkeyAuthor: Sharkey, Jack, 1931-1992,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 12, 2016

Editor's review

Big Baby is an English-language work by Jack Sharkey, prepared by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook and classed under American and Canadian literature. The information suggests it is a short work of fiction, suitable as an entry point for English extensive reading or for getting a sense of mid-twentieth-century popular science fiction style. Its reading value lies not in grand narrative but in a briskly presented imaginative story setting that readers can finish in a short time and enjoy. As a public-domain electronic text, its formatting and annotation are plain, so reading depends more on the reader's own English comprehension. Overall it is suitable as short leisure reading or as a sample of the author's work, rather than for substantial literary analysis or complete author study.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers looking for short English science fiction for extensive reading practice
General readers interested in mid-twentieth-century popular science fiction
Readers who need light English ebooks to fill spare moments

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for a long work with a complex world
English beginners who need Chinese translation or detailed annotations
Readers expecting a complete author biography or systematic study of his works

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the story setting, then go back over key passages to sort out the characters.
Use it as English extensive reading material and summarize the plot in two or three sentences after each chapter.
If interested in the author, use public-domain sources to learn about his popular science fiction background.

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 work?

The information suggests Big Baby is short, closer to a short story or novella, suitable for reading in one sitting or over two or three sessions. It does not rely on a complex long-form structure, so readers need not approach it with the expectations of a novel.

Do I need a science fiction reading background for this book?

No special background is needed. The setting is imaginative, but the barrier is mainly English comprehension rather than science fiction knowledge. Readers who have read some English short stories should get through it smoothly with a dictionary.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides a free public-domain electronic text focused on content availability, usually with plain formatting and annotation. Readers get the original English and must handle unfamiliar words and background information themselves; it should not be expected to be a carefully annotated edition.

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About the author

Jack Sharkey Author · American · 1931–1992

Jack Sharkey (1931–1992) was an American author born John Michael Sharkey in Chicago. From 1959 he published science fiction in magazines such as Fantastic and Galaxy. His representative works include The Secret Martians, The Dope on Mars, and This Is Magic, Dummy!, as well as Arcturus Times Three, The Business, As Usual, and Minor Detail. His science fiction often draws on Mars and future societies, with ingenious plots, humorous language, and a satirical edge. He later turned to playwriting, publishing more than eighty scripts under his real name and four pseudonyms, many of them concerned with personal growth and inspiration. Eleven of his works are held in this collection. Public information about his life and career is limited.