From: bml@netcom.com (Brian Leibowitz)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Book with no E's
Date: 28 Jan 93 19:03:41 GMT
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)

The discussion of the computer generated book reminds me of a book
written by Ernest Vincent Wright in 1936 and published in 1939.
It has no Es in the story.

The introduction and some excerpts follow (sorry if this has been mentioned
before)
(Warning: Shameless plug follows -The author went to MIT and thus is
included in my book on student pranks at MIT - documenting and reporting
verifiable pranks through MIT's history.  Pranks date as far back as the late
1800s - about 200 photos - Large paperback format (9.5"x11") - 158 pages -
$19.95 +P&H from the MIT Museum shop - phone number 617-253-4462 - I can
bring copies to the AFU west if people would like to see it.)

- - - - - - - - - --
GADSBY
	A Story of Over 50,000 Words
	Without Using the Letter 'E'
	by Ernest Vincent Wright

Written by an MIT alumnus of the class of 1889, this  50,110 word 
novel was finished in 1936 and published in 1939.  The book tells of 
John Gadsby and the Youth of Branton Hills and how they worked to 
transform a small stagnant agricultural town into a healthy community 
with a multitude of cultural, social, and technical resources.  Wright's 
introduction to the book describes how this literary novelty was 
created:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The entire manuscript of this story was written with the E 
type-bar of the typewriter tied down; thus making it 
impossible for that letter to be printed.  This was done so 
that none of that vowel might slip in, accidentally; and 
many did try to do so! . . .
In writing such a story, purposely avoiding all words 
containing the vowel E, there are a great many difficulties.  
The greatest of these is met in the past tense of verbs, 
almost all of which end with "ed." Therefore substitutes 
must be found; and they are very few.  This will cause, at 
times, a somewhat monotonous use of such words as 
"said;"(sic) for neither replied, answered nor asked can 
be used.  Another difficulty comes with the elimination of 
the common couplet "of course," and its very common 
connective, "consequently;"(sic) which will, unavoidably cause 
bumpy spots. The numerals also cause plenty of trouble, 
for none between six and thirty are available.  When 
introducing young ladies into the story, this is a real 
barrier; for what young woman wants to have it known that 
she is over thirty? And this restriction on numbers, of 
course taboos all mention of dates.
Many abbreviations also must be avoided; the most 
common of all, "Mr." and "Mrs." being particularly 
troublesome; for those words, if read aloud, plainly 
indicate the E in their orthography.
As the letter E is used more than five times oftener than 
any other letter, this story was written, not through any 
attempt to attain literary merit, but due to a somewhat 
balky nature, caused by hearing it so constantly claimed 
that "it can't be done; for you cannot say anything at all 
without using E, and make a smooth continuity, with 
perfectly grammatical construction-" so 'twas said. . . .
Pronouns also caused trouble; for such words as he, 
she, they, them, theirs, her, herself, myself, himself, 
yourself, etc., could not be utilized.  But a particularly 
annoying obstacle comes when, almost through a long 
paragraph you find no words with which to continue that 
line of thought; hence, as in Solitaire, you are "stuck," and 
must go way back and start another; which, of course, 
must perfectly fit the preceding context.
. . . The story required five and a half months of 
concentrated endeavor, with so many erasures and 
retrenchments that I tremble as I think of them.  Of course 
anybody can write such a story.  All that is needed is a 
piece of string tied from the E type-bar down to some part 
of the base of the typewriter.  Then simply go ahead and 
type your story.  Incidentally, you should have some sort 
of a bromide preparation handy, for use when the going 
gets rough, as it most assuredly will!
. . . I have even ordered the printer not to head each 
chapter with the words "Chapter 2," etc., on account of 
that bothersome E in that word.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Some excerpts from the story:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
III

Youth cannot stay for long in a condition of inactivity; 
and so, for only about a month did things so stand, until a 
particularly bright girl in our Organization, thought out a 
plan for caring for infants of folks who had to go out, to 
work; and this bright kid soon had a group of girls who 
would join, during vacation, in voluntarily giving up four 
days a month to such work.  With about fifty girls 
collaborating, all districts had this most gracious aid; and a 
girl would not only watch and guard, but would also 
instruct, as far as practical, any such tot as had not had its 
first schooling.  Such Work by young girls still in school 
was a grand thing; and Gadsby not only stood up for such 
loyalty, but got at his boys to find a similar plan; and soon 
had a full troop of Boy Scouts; uniforms and all.   This 
automatically brought about a Girl Scout unit; and, 
through a collaboration of both, a form of club sprang up.  
It was a club in which any boy or girl of a family owning a 
car would call mornings for pupils having no cars, during 
school days, for a trip to school and back.  This was not 
only a saving in long walks for many, but also took from a 
young back, that hard, tiring strain from lugging such 
armfuls of books as you find pupils laboriously carrying 
today.  Upon arriving at a school building, many cars 
would unload so many books that Gadsby said:-
"You would think that a Public Library branch was 
moving in!" This car work soon brought up a thought of 
giving similar aid to ailing adults; who, not owning a car, 
could not know of that vast display of hill and plain so 
common to a majority of our townsfolks.  So a plan was 
laid, by which a car would call two days a month; and for 
an hour or so, follow roads winding out of town and 
through woods, farm lands and suburbs; showing distant 
ponds, and that grand arch of sky which "shut-ins" know 
only from photographs.   Ah; how that plan did stir up 
joyous anticipation amongst such as thus had an 
opportunity to call upon old, loving pals, and talk of old 
customs and past days!

VII

Now that a zoo was actually on its way, Gadsby had to 
call in various groups to talk about what a Zoo should 
contain.  Now you know that all animals can't find room in 
this orthographically odd story; so if you visit Lucy zoo, 
you'll miss a customary inhabitant, or two.  But you'll find 
an array worthy of your trip.  So a call was put in two big 
daily journals, asking for bids on animals and birds; and 
soon, from north, south and crisscross points, a hunting 
party or a city with too many zoo animals on hand got in 
touch with Branton Hills, with proposals for all kinds of 
animals, from kangaroos to bats; and our Organization 
had a lot of fun planning how many it could crowd into City 
Park, without crowding out visitors.  Finally a ballot put 
Lucy's zoological population as follows:-
First, according to Lucy, "an awfully, AWFULLY big 
hippopotamus, with a pool for its comfort;"(sic) a yak, caribou, 
walrus, (also with a pool,) a long fox-run, bisons, gnus, 
stags, (it was a stag, you know, that got this zoo plan 
going!), alligators, mountain lions, African lions, wild cats, 
wild boars, llamas, gorillas, baboons, orang-outangs, 
mandrils; and, according to Gadsby's boys, a "big gang" of 
that amusing, tiny mimic always found accompanying 
hand-organs.  Also an aviary, containing condors, 
buzzards, parrots, ibis, macaws, adjutant birds, storks, 
owls, quail, falcons, tiny humming birds, a sprinkling of 
hawks, mocking birds, swans, fancy ducks, toucans; and . 
. . All in all it would furnish a mighty amusing and popular 
spot which would draw lots of out of town visitors. . .
- - - - - - - - - - - 
the elipses are mine (I only printed portions) and the (sic)
marks are refering to the punctuation rule exception where
semi-colons are supposed to go outside the quotes and Wright
put them inside.  (I hope this doesn't start a thread- see
Chicago Manual of Style 12th ed. - sec 5.67)

I have read this book.  It is tedious to read.
The excerpts are some of the easier to read sections - much of
the book is very awkward.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban