"We're talking the best in pulp science fiction ever written here."
--Richard C. Drew

Doc would've loved this:

Book I of the classic science fiction series, THE LENSMAN, by the late E.E. 'DOC' SMITH, is now available as a 'virtual' book, exclusively from The 1stBooks Library.

For those still unfamiliar with the term, virtual books are not physical objects made of paper and ink; instead, they are full-length books which are downloaded as data files from the Internet, directly to the computers of readers around the world from the following World Wide Web location:

"1stBooks is now the largest online publisher with 1,300 books -- ranging from science fiction to cookbooks. By early 1999, it should top 2,000 titles, making it the most prolific publisher in the country," wrote Jon Swartz of the San Francisco Chronicle on 11/12/98.

1stbooks is also listed as the #1 online library by many major Internet services, including America Online, Netscape, Excite and Webcrawler.

E.E. 'DOC' SMITH is widely recognized as a major figure in science fiction, often called "the father of space opera." His LENSMAN series is considered a classic of the genre. The first book of the series, Triplanetary, was originally written in 1934, but became a cult classic with twelve printings over the next six decades, the latest of which was released in 1997.

In recent years, printed copies of THE LENSMAN series have become hard to find, and valued highly by science fiction fans. The release of Book I on the Web eliminates that problem forever. Triplanetary is now available in unlimited quantities, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to anyone in the world with a connection to the Internet. The other books in the series will be released by 1stBooks through 1999.

The 1stBooks Library offers more than 1,400 titles at 25% to 50% below softcover prices, as well as hundreds of classic selections, available free of charge.

In the opening chapter of this book, E.E. 'DOC' SMITH envisioned his characters using information stored on "playable discs of platinum alloy" -- more than half a century before the rise of compact discs. Doc would have loved the World Wide Web, and been delighted to see his books available to millions of readers around the world from The 1stBooks Library.

Notes to editors: free review copies of this book, and hundreds of other titles, are available by writing to 1stbooks@1stbuys.com or calling 1-800-839-8640.

The Web location and e-mail address below, both starting with the number '1,' must be used exactly as shown in order to obtain more info.

Please include the Web location (www.1stbooks.com/?bookflash) in all stories.

For more information, contact:

Dan Snow
The 1stBooks Library
800-839-8640
1stbooks@1stbuys.com
http://www.1stbooks.com/?bookflash