World in a Bottle by Allen Kim Lang

Read now or download (free!)

Choose how to read this book Url Size
Read online (web) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51824.html.images 103 kB
EPUB3 (E-readers incl. Send-to-Kindle) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51824.epub3.images 399 kB
EPUB (older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51824.epub.images 399 kB
EPUB (no images, older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51824.epub.noimages 106 kB
Kindle https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51824.kf8.images 448 kB
older Kindles https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51824.kindle.images 440 kB
Plain Text UTF-8 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51824.txt.utf-8 96 kB
Download HTML (zip) https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/51824/pg51824-h.zip 364 kB
There may be more files related to this item.

About this eBook

Author Lang, Allen Kim, 1928-
Illustrator Francis, Dick
Title World in a Bottle
Credits Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Summary "World in a Bottle" by Allen Kim Lang is a science fiction novel written in the early 1960s. The story explores themes of isolation, human experimentation, and the longing for connection, following a group of individuals who have been raised in a sterile environment, entirely separated from outside bacteria and microorganisms. The narrative revolves around John Bogardus, a "Lapin," who grapples with the implications of his existence in a world without contamination and his unrequited love for a woman from the outside world. The plot centers on John and his companions, who are human guinea pigs raised in a controlled environment by scientists studying gnotobiotics. As they navigate their sterile lives, John's romance with Anne, an outsider, leads him to confront the stark realities of love and physical intimacy that are rendered impossible due to his germ-free condition. The narrative deepens when one of their own, Mary, marries a contaminated man and faces the dire consequences of her choice, which serves as a catalyst for John and the rest of the Lapins to consider a future beyond their confined existence. Ultimately, they hatch a plan to embark on a journey into space aboard the "Orion Zeta", seeking freedom and the chance for genuine human connection. The story deftly intertwines their scientific background with the deeply human desire for love, autonomy, and exploration, making it a thought-provoking tale of longing amid isolation. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Language English
LoC Class PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Subject Science fiction
Subject Man-woman relationships -- Fiction
Subject Experiments -- Fiction
Category Text
EBook-No. 51824
Release Date
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 70 downloads in the last 30 days.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!