The Einstein See-Saw

Breuer, Miles John, 1889-1945Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 53K words
Chapters: 6

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 Einstein See-Saw by Miles John BreuerAuthor: Breuer, Miles John, 1889-1945,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 7, 2009

Editor's review

Miles J. Breuer was an American pulp science fiction author of the first half of the twentieth century, and The Einstein See-Saw is a short work he published in the pulp science fiction magazines, digitized by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook. Judging from the title and its classification, it is an early science fiction short story built around a scientific conceit, with the fast pace and imaginative flourishes common to the pulp magazines of its era. It is short and serves as a useful sample of early American science fiction magazine writing. Note that the available information provides only the author, publication details, and literary classification, with no plot details, so readers should not approach it with fixed expectations about its specific premise. As a public-domain electronic text, it has no modern introduction or annotations, and the original English may feel spare to readers accustomed to contemporary science fiction. It suits science fiction history enthusiasts, short fiction readers, and English extensive-reading learners as light optional reading, but not readers expecting lengthy hard science fiction or polished contemporary narrative.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in early American pulp science fiction magazine writing
Learners who want to practice extensive reading with short original English texts
Enthusiasts studying the origins of science fiction and magazine culture
Readers who enjoy short, imaginative stories and do not mind the period flavor

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting lengthy contemporary hard science fiction or complex worldbuilding
Readers who need a Chinese translation or detailed background annotations
Beginner readers unaccustomed to early twentieth-century English

Reading tips

Read it as a single short story in one sitting, to sense the rhythm and language of early pulp science fiction.
Before reading, learn a little about the publishing context of American science fiction magazines in the first half of the twentieth century; this helps in understanding how the work is written and what makes it enjoyable.
When you meet unfamiliar expressions, read through first to grasp the general meaning rather than looking up every word, so as to keep the reading flowing.
After reading, compare it with other early science fiction short stories to see how scientific conceits and narrative approaches differ across eras.

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 work a novel or a short story?

Judging from the author's publication outlets and its public-domain inclusion, it is a short work published in the early pulp science fiction magazines, and it is not long. The available information does not give a specific page count, so readers can plan to finish it in one or two sittings, as one would a short story.

Is the Einstein in the title closely related to the text?

The available information gives only the title and literary classification, with no plot details, so it is impossible to confirm Einstein's specific role in the story. It is better not to presuppose the content from the title alone, and to read it as an early science fiction short story with a scientific conceit.

How difficult is the English, and is it suitable for learning English?

The work comes from an American pulp magazine of the first half of the twentieth century, and its language style leans toward the colloquial and popular narrative of that time, differing from modern English. Readers with some English foundation who want to do extensive reading can try it, but it is not suitable as zero-beginner material.

Does the electronic edition have an introduction or annotations?

The Project Gutenberg edition consists mainly of the public-domain text and usually includes only copyright and release notes, with no modern scholarly introduction, annotations, or bibliography. Readers who need background information should consult research materials on early science fiction magazines and the author themselves.

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About the author

Breuer, Miles John, 1889-1945 Author · American · 1889–1945

Miles John Breuer (1889–1945) was an American physician who also wrote science fiction. His short story "The Gostak and the Doshes" circulated fairly widely and is the work for which he is best known in the field; the library also holds his longer work The Einstein See-Saw, showing that he attempted both short and long forms. Public information about his life and his full body of work is limited, and only basic facts such as his profession, nationality and dates can be confirmed. Judging from his titles, his science fiction often builds its imagination around scientific concepts and wordplay, reflecting the early science-fiction magazine era's taste for speculative ideas and conceptual inventiveness, and offering later readers a useful glimpse of the science fiction of that period.