
Transcriber's note:
In a sleek, near‑future world where even breakfast can be a blend of real and synthetic ingredients, Senator Chester Pelton juggles a hectic campaign trail with the comforts of family life. Over a table laden with honey‑dripping toast, his teenage son Ray obsessively weighs the cost of every bite, already dreaming of the latest “copter‑bike” while his sister Claire tries to keep the household grounded.
As the family debates politics, sales, and the ever‑present pressure of a looming election, they’re surrounded by technology that blurs the line between genuine experience and manufactured convenience. The story invites listeners to consider how a society that leans heavily on “book‑learning” and engineered sustenance might shape values, ambition, and the very definition of authenticity—all while a charismatic senator wrestles with the paradox of progress and personal integrity.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (202K characters)
Series
Produced from Astounding Science Fiction, February and March, 1953
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2006-05-08
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1904–1964
A self-taught science fiction writer with a gift for big ideas, he built vivid futures and alternate histories that still feel adventurous and sharp. He is especially remembered for the Terro-Human Future History stories, the Paratime tales, and the beloved novel Little Fuzzy.
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1917–1981
A mid-20th-century science fiction writer best remembered for fast-moving collaborations with H. Beam Piper, he helped create adventures that mixed big ideas with an easy pulp-era energy.
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