In the Cards

Alan CoganProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 39K 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.In the Cards by Alan CoganAuthor: Cogan, Alan,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 17, 2010

Editor's review

In the Cards is an English literary work by Alan Cogan, included in the Project Gutenberg public-domain collection and classified under American and Canadian literature. Since the available materials provide only bibliographic and release information, the specific plot cannot be confirmed; but judging from the title and classification, it is an early English-language short story or popular narrative work, suitable as a sample for understanding the landscape of public-domain English literature. Since Michael Hart founded the e-book tradition in 1971, Project Gutenberg has preserved such works in a free, reproducible form, and this book is part of that lineage. Its value lies not in bestseller-list excitement but in offering an authentic old English work at minimal cost: manageable in length, with language bearing the marks of its era, it can serve as supplementary material for English reading practice or an interest in literary history. It suits trial reading on an electronic device in spare moments, and also serves as a small sample for public-domain book collecting and textual research.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to practice reading with original short English works without buying paper books
Readers interested in Project Gutenberg public-domain books and the history of e-books
People who need a lightweight English text as supplementary material for a class or reading group
Literature enthusiasts who enjoy early American and Canadian literature and are willing to read widely

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the plot intensity and fast pace of contemporary bestselling novels
Beginner readers who need detailed annotations, introductions, or a Chinese translation
Readers hoping to gain clear practical knowledge or methodology from the book

Reading tips

Read the first two or three pages to judge the style and difficulty, then decide whether to read the whole text.
Keep a vocabulary notebook, recording only high-frequency words that recur, without looking up every word.
Read along with audio or listening practice, using the portability of the public-domain e-book to finish in sections.
After reading, summarize the content in three to five sentences to check whether you have truly understood it.

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

Does this book have a Chinese translation?

According to the available information, this book is an English public-domain work collected by Project Gutenberg, and no Chinese translation information has been found. Readers can read the English original directly, or use dictionaries and translation tools to assist their understanding.

Why is there no author biography in the book?

This book comes from a public-domain e-book project, and the materials provide only bibliographic information such as the author's name, language, and classification, without biographical details. When reading, treat it as the text itself and do not rely on the author's biographical background.

Is it suitable for English beginners?

The language of the work bears period characteristics and may be difficult for readers with no prior knowledge at all. It is more suitable for readers with basic vocabulary and syntax who are willing to read slowly; beginners can read the beginning first and then decide.

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About the author

Alan Cogan Author

Alan Cogan was a science fiction short-story writer active in the 1950s. Public information about his life and nationality is limited, so his educational background and the full scope of his work cannot be established with certainty. His confirmed works include "The Amateurs" (1955), "In the Cards" (1956), and "Nothing But the Best" (1956), all published in Galaxy Science Fiction; three of his works are held in this collection. Judging from the titles and the venue, he wrote mainly short science fiction for the popular science fiction magazine readership of the time, often telling light, brisk stories about ordinary people drawn into unusual situations, with the wit and irony typical of 1950s science fiction magazines. Although his output was small and his circulation limited, these stories remain useful reference material for studying the magazine culture of that period.