brainwagon

Dan alerted me to the fact that Project Gutenberg founder Michael Hart passed away. On the Project Gutenberg site, Dr. Gregory Newby wrote a very nice obituary:

Michael S. Hart – Gutenberg.

I also liked this quote from Hart:

“One thing about eBooks that most people haven’t thought much is that eBooks are the very first thing that we’re all able to have as much as we want other than air. Think about that for a moment and you realize we are in the right job.”

I’m a huge fan of Project Gutenberg. I’ve enjoyed many classic books in their collection, from the stories of Conan Doyle, to Robert Louis Stevenson, to Lewis Carroll, Bram Stoker, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens… And on and on, as far as the public domain can take me. It’s hard to overestimate the value to public literacy that Project Gutenberg provides, and it could provide much more as a resource if people used it more. Thanks to Michael Hart, what a great contribution to humanity, and what a great legacy.