Part of a letter from Michael HartProject Gutenberg‘s founder:

As Project Gutenberg moves from 9,000 to 10,000 eBooks in the next 4 months, we only have 2 months’ budget on hand. . .so right now it looks as if we will run out of money in October. . . .

This month my assistant and I are working with no salary. We might get paid later, if things start looking up.

We are going to need people to interface with the MAJOR granting agencies to get a good run [toward] a million eBooks!!!

We should approach the Fortune 500, Computer 100, and the 500 wealthiest people, too.

Come on. I know TeleRead is read by some good-hearted mavericks at blue-chip companies–including, presumably, certain corporations looking for good PR. What better way to earn it honestly?

Even if you can’t authorize money for worthwhile cultural activities, maybe you can fire off a memo to someone who can. No need to guess what PG might do with the money. It’s the first and biggest publisher of public domain material on the Net and, if you count Michael Hart’s first efforts, has been around 32 years.

If you want to reach Michael directly, he’s at hart@beryl.ils.unc.edu.

Remember, the best way to protect the already-shrunken public domain is to use it, and that’s what Project Gutenberg is all about.

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