Michael Hart, who has died of a heart attack at the age of 64, was widely seen as the pioneer of the first e-book, or electronic book, The Declaration of Independence, on 4 July 1971. This laid the foundation for his life's mission, Project Gutenberg, which he launched in 1971.
Hart's vision was to create a literate society by copying and making books freely available via computer decades before the spread of the internet, the World Wide Web and the use of email. A true visionary and self-described "cyber-hippie", the founder of the online library had always had a goal: "to encourage the creation and distribution of e-books", and, by making books available to computer users at no cost, "to help break down the bars of ignorance and illiteracy."
Project Gutenberg, named after the inventor of the Gutenberg printing press, Johannes Gutenberg, is recognised as the earliest, oldest and largest online literary project and, as of June 2011, offers access to over 36,500 e-books in 60 languages and a range of formats. Relying on volunteers who scan and proof-read without pay, it is estimated that more than 50 books are added each week. In 1998, Wired magazine added Hart to its "Wired 25," a list of people who were "actively, even hyperactively, inventing tomorrow". The project's chief executive, Gregory Newby, said Hart was "an ardent technologist and futurist". Long before the invention of personal computers and electronic readers, "he predicted that information contained in books and other media would surround us and be freely available."
Hart foresaw that anyone would be able to have their own copy of part or all of the Gutenberg collection. This vision came true, thanks to inexpensive computer hard drives and devices like the Kindle, iPhone and Android phone. He also predicted the enhancement of automatic translation.
Michael Stern Hart was born in Tacoma, Washington in 1947 into a well-educated family; his father was an accountant while his mother, a cryptanalyst during the Second World War, was the business manager for a high-end women's store. In 1958 the couple moved to Urbana and retrained, securing employment at the University of Illinois, lecturing on Shakespeare and mathematics respectively. Hart, intelligent and somewhat of a maverick, drifted in his late teens, working as a street musician then serving briefly in the US army before attending the University of Illinois, where he completed his BSc in two years, with his year's highest grades.
It was during this period that Project Gutenberg was spawned: Hart had been granted unlimited access and time to the university's huge main-frame computer but was unsure of how to use the valuable time. Then, inspiration struck. On 4 July 1971 he went to a grocery store, where he was a given a free printed copy, on faux parchment, of the US Declaration of Independence. He typed the text into a computer, and was intending to transmit it via email to other users on the network.
At this time there were only 100 users from élite institutions such as Harvard, the University of California and the Department of Defense. However, Hart was dissuaded as it might have crashed the system. Instead he notified users that it was available for download. Six members of this pre-internet network did so: the e-book was born and the digitisation of books became his mission.
Spurred on, for the first 18 years, Hart worked alone and the project moved slowly; by 1989 he had completed the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the King James Bible. To support himself and the project he had a variety of jobs in which he was able to solicit donations. He was also extremely frugal, using home remedies rather than seeing doctors, repairing his own home and car and building computers and stereos, often from discarded components.
He encountered problems with copyright laws, and a big blow came in 1998 when the Copyright TermExtension Act was passed. It removed a million e-books from the publicdomain, extending copyright by 20 years. He also attacked the traditional publishing world, which he accused of profiting from the works of long-dead writers. "I am a revolutionary in this neo-industrial revolution," he said. "That's why they have trouble with me. How can anyone be troubled by free information?"
In 1994, the project's 100th text, The Complete Works of Shakespeare, appeared online. By now, the internet and the web had made their appearance, and Hart utilised them enthusiastically. In 1997 the 1,000th e-book was uploaded, Dante's Divine Comedy in the original Italian. To date, the most popular book is The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana with over 25,500 downloads, followed by The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Pride and Prejudice. Project Gutenberg also releases collections on free CDs and DVDs.
Martin Childs
Michael Stern Hart, author and online activist: born Tacoma, Washington 8 March 1947; died Urbana, Illinois 6 September 2011.
Comments