The Project Gutenberg EBook of Fancy's Show-Box (From "Twice Told Tales"), by
Nathaniel Hawthorne
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Fancy's Show-Box (From "Twice Told Tales")
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Posting Date: November 27, 2010 [EBook #9208]
Release Date: November, 2005
First Posted: August 23, 2003
Last Updated: February 5, 2007
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FANCY'S SHOW-BOX ***
Produced by David Widger
TWICE TOLD TALES
FANCY'S SHOW-BOX
A MORALITY
By Nathaniel Hawthorne
What is Guilt? A stain upon the soul. And it is a point of vast
interest, whether the soul may contract such stains, in all their depth
and flagrancy, from deeds which may have been plotted and resolved upon,
but which, physically, have never had existence. Must the fleshly hand
and visible frame of man set its seal to the evil designs of the soul, in
order to give them their entire validity against the sinner? Or, while
none but crimes perpetrated are cognizable before an earthly tribunal,
will guilty thoughts,--of which guilty deeds are no more than
shadows,--will these draw down the full weight of a condemning sentence,
in the supreme court of eternity? In the solitude of a midnight chamber,
or in a desert, afar from men, or in a church, while the body is kneeling,
the soul may pollute itself even with those crimes, which we are
accustomed to deem altogether carnal. If this be true, it is a fearful
truth.
Let us illustrate the subject by an imaginary example. A venerable
gentleman, one Mr. Smith, who had long been regarded as a pattern of
moral excellence, was warming his aged blood with a glass or two of
generous wine. His children being gone forth about their worldly
business, and his grandchildren at school, he sat alone, in a deep,
luxurious arm-chair, with his feet beneath a richly carved mahogany
table. Some old people have a dread of solitude, and when better company
may not be had, rejoice even to hear the quiet breathing of a babe,
asleep upon the carpet. But Mr. Smith, whose silver hair was the bright
symbol of a life unstained, except by such spots as are inseparable from
human nature, he had no need of a babe to protect him by its purity, nor
of a grown person to stand between him and his own soul. Nevertheless,
either Manhood must converse with Age, or Womanhood must soothe him with
gentle cares, or Infancy must sport around his chair, or his thoughts
will stray into the misty region of the past, and the old man be chill
and sad. Wine will not always cheer him. Such might have been the case
with Mr. Smith, when, through the brilliant medium of his glass of old
Madeira, he beheld three figures entering the room. These were Fancy,
who had assumed the garb and aspect of an itinerant showman, with a box
of pictures on her back; and Memory, in the likeness of a clerk, with a
pen behind her ear, an inkhorn at her buttonhole, and a huge manuscript
volume beneath her arm; and lastly, behind the other two, a person
shrouded in a dusky mantle, which concealed both face and form. But Mr.
Smith had a shrewd idea that it was Conscience.
How kind of Fancy, Memory, and Conscience to visit the old gentleman,
just as he was beginning to imagine that the wine had neither so bright a
sparkle nor so excellent a flavor as when himself and the liquor were
less aged! Through the dim length of the apartment, where crimson
curtains muffled the glare of sunshine, and created a rich obscurity, the
three guests drew near the silver-haired old mail. Memory, with a finger
between the leaves of her huge volume, placed herself at his right hand.
Conscience, with her face still hidden in the dusky mantle, took her
station on the left, so as to be next his heart; while Fancy set down her
picture-box upon the table, with the magnifying-glass convenient to his
eye. We can sketch merely the outlines of two or three out of the many
pictures which, at the pulling of a string, successively peopled the box
with the semblances of living scenes.
One was a moonlight picture; in the background, a lowly dwelling; and in
front, partly shadowed by a tree, yet besprinkled with flakes of
radiance, two youthful figures, male and female. The young man stood
with folded arms, a haughty smile upon his lip, and a gleam of triumph in
his eye, as he glanced downward at the kneeling girl. She was almost
prostrate at his feet, evidently sinking under a weight of shame and
anguish, which hardly allowed her to lift her clasped hands in
supplication. Her eyes she could not lift. But neither her agony, nor
the lovely features on which it was depicted, nor the slender grace of
the form which it convulsed, appeared to soften the obduracy of the young
man. He was the personification of triumphant scorn. Now, strange to
say, as old Mr. Smith peeped through the magnifying-glass, which made the
objects start out from the canvas with magical deception, he began to
recognize the farm-house, the tree, and both the figures of the picture.
The young man, in times long past, had often met his gaze within the
looking-glass; the girl was the very image of his first love,--his
cottage love,--his Martha Burroughs! Mr. Smith was scandalized. "O,
vile and slanderous picture!" he exclaims. "When have I triumphed over
ruined innocence? Was not Martha wedded, in her teens, to David Tomkius,
who won her girlish love, and long enjoyed her affection as a wife? And
ever since his death, she has lived a reputable widow!" Meantime, Memory
was turning over the leaves of her volume, rustling them to and fro with
uncertain fingers, until, among the earlier pages, she found one which
had reference to this picture. She reads it, close to the old
gentleman's ear; it is a record merely of sinful thought, which never was
embodied in an act; but, while Memory is reading, Conscience unveils her
face, and strikes a dagger to the heart of Mr. Smith. Though not a
death-blow, the torture was extreme.
The exhibition proceeded. One after another, Fancy displayed her
pictures, all of which appeared to have been painted by some malicious
artist, on purpose to vex Mr. Smith. Not a shadow of proof could have
been adduced, in any earthly court, that he was guilty of the slightest
of those sins which were thus made to stare him in the face. In one
scene, there was a table set out, with several bottles, and glasses half
filled with wine, which threw back the dull ray of an expiring lamp.
There had been mirth and revelry, until the hand of the clock stood just
at midnight, when murder stepped between the boon companions. A young
man had fallen on the floor, and lay stone dead, with a ghastly wound
crushed into his temple, while over him, with a delirium of mingled rage
and horror in his countenance, stood the youthful likeness of Mr. Smith.
The murdered youth wore the features of Edward Spencer! "What does this
rascal of a painter mean?" cries Mr. Smith, provoked beyond all patience.
"Edward Spencer was my earliest and dearest friend, true to me as I to
him, through more than half a century. Neither I, nor any other, ever
murdered him. Was he not alive within five years, and did he not, in
token of our long friendship, bequeath me his gold-headed cane and a
mourning ring?" Again had Memory been turning over her volume, and
fixed at length upon so confused a page, that she surely must have
scribbled it when she was tipsy. The purport was, however, that, while
Mr. Smith and Edward Spencer were heating their young blood with wine, a
quarrel had flashed up between them, and Mr. Smith, in deadly wrath, had
flung a bottle at Spencer's head. True, it missed its aim, and merely
smashed a looking-glass; and the next morning, when the incident was
imperfectly remembered, they had shaken hands with a hearty laugh. Yet,
again, while Memory was reading, Conscience unveiled her face, struck a
dagger to the heart of Mr. Smith, and quelled his remonstrance with her
iron frown. The pain was quite excruciating.
Some of the pictures had been painted with so doubtful a touch, and in
colors so faint and pale, that the subjects could barely be conjectured.
A dull, semitransparent mist had been thrown over the surface of the
canvas, into which the figures seemed to vanish, while the eye sought
most earnestly to fix them. But, in every scene, however dubiously
portrayed, Mr. Smith was invariably haunted by his own lineaments, at
various ages, as in a dusty mirror. After poring several minutes over
one of these blurred and almost indistinguishable pictures, he began to
see that the painter had intended to represent him, now in the decline of
life, as stripping the clothes from the backs of three half-starved
children. "Really, this puzzles me!" quoth Mr. Smith, with the irony of
conscious rectitude. "Asking pardon of the painter, I pronounce him a
fool, as well as a scandalous knave. A man of my standing in the world,
to be robbing little children of their clothes! Ridiculous!" But while
he spoke, Memory had searched her fatal volume, and found a page, which,
with her sad, calm voice, she poured into his ear. It was not altogether
inapplicable to the misty scene. It told how Mr. Smith had been
grievously tempted, by many devilish sophistries, on the ground of a
legal quibble, to commence a lawsuit against three orphan children, joint
heirs to a considerable estate. Fortunately, before he was quite
decided, his claims had turned out nearly as devoid of law as justice.
As Memory ceased to read, Conscience again thrust aside her mantle, and
would have struck her victim with the envenomed dagger, only that he
struggled, and clasped his hands before his heart. Even then, however,
he sustained an ugly gash.
Why should we follow Fancy through the whole series of those awful
pictures? Painted by an artist of wondrous power, and terrible
acquaintance with the secret soul, they embodied the ghosts of all the
never perpetrated sins that had glided through the lifetime of Mr. Smith.
And could such beings of cloudy fantasy, so near akin to nothingness,
give valid evidence against him, at the day of judgment? Be that the
case or not, there is reason to believe that one truly penitential tear
would have washed away each hateful picture, and left the canvas white as
snow. But Mr. Smith, at a prick of Conscience too keen to be endured,
bellowed aloud, with impatient agony, and suddenly discovered that his
three guests were gone. There he sat alone, a silver-haired and highly
venerated old man, in the rich gloom of the crimson-curtained room, with
no box of pictures on the table, but only a decanter of most excellent
Madeira. Yet his heart still seemed to fester with the venom of the
dagger.
Nevertheless, the unfortunate old gentleman might have argued the matter
with Conscience, and alleged many reasons wherefore she should not smite
him so pitilessly. Were we to take up his cause, it should be somewhat
in the following fashion: A scheme of guilt, till it be put in execution,
greatly resembles a train of incidents in a projected tale. The latter,
in order to produce a sense of reality in the reader's mind, must be
conceived with such proportionate strength by the author as to seem, in
the glow of fancy, more like truth, past, present, or to come, than
purely fiction. The prospective sinner, on the other hand, weaves his
plot of crime, but seldom or never feels a perfect certainty that it will
be executed. There is a dreaminess diffused about his thoughts; in a
dream, as it were, he strikes the death-blow into his victim's heart, and
starts to find an indelible blood-stain on his hand. Thus a novel-writer,
or a dramatist, in creating a villain of romance, and fitting him with
evil deeds, and the villain of actual life, in projecting crimes that
will be perpetrated, may almost meet each other, half-way between reality
and fancy. It is not until the crime is accomplished, that guilt
clinches its gripe upon the guilty heart, and claims it for its own.
Then, and not before, sin is actually felt and acknowledged, and, if
unaccompanied by repentance, grows a thousand-fold more virulent by its
self-consciousness. Be it considered, also, that men often overestimate
their capacity for evil. At a distance, while its attendant
circumstances do not press upon their notice, and its results are dimly
seen, they can bear to contemplate it. They may take the steps which
lead to crime, impelled by the same sort of mental action as in working
out a mathematical problem, yet be powerless with compunction, at the
final moment. They knew not what deed it was that they deemed themselves
resolved to do. In truth, there is no such thing in man's nature as a
settled and full resolve, either for good or evil, except at the very
moment of execution. Let us hope, therefore, that all the dreadful
consequences of sin will not be incurred, unless the act have set its
seal upon the thought.
Yet, with the slight fancy-work which we have framed, some sad and awful
truths are interwoven. Man must not disclaim his brotherhood, even with
the guiltiest, since, though his hand be clean, his heart has surely been
polluted by the flitting phantoms of iniquity. He must feel, that, when
he shall knock at the gate of heaven, no semblance of an unspotted life
can entitle him to entrance there. Penitence must kneel, and Mercy come
from the footstool of the throne, or that golden gate will never open!
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Fancy's Show-Box (From "Twice Told
Tales"), by Nathaniel Hawthorne
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FANCY'S SHOW-BOX ***
***** This file should be named 9208.txt or 9208.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
https://www.gutenberg.org/9/2/0/9208/
Produced by David Widger
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
redistribution.
*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
https://gutenberg.org/license).
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
that
- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or
destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
Project Gutenberg-tm works.
- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
of receipt of the work.
- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
[email protected]. Email contact links and up to date contact
information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
page at https://pglaf.org
For additional contact information:
Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
[email protected]
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
particular state visit https://pglaf.org
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works.
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
https://www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
