Project Gutenberg 2007-10-12 Public domain in the USA. 169 Harrison, Harry 1925 2012 Dempsey, Henry Maxwell Harrison, Henry Maxwell Brey, Charles Toy Shop Produced from Analog April 1962. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Toy Shop" by Harry Harrison is a science fiction short story that was likely written in the early 1960s. This story explores themes of illusion, scientific curiosity, and the potential for unexpected breakthroughs in technology, focusing on the world of seemingly simple toys that may conceal deeper scientific principles. The narrative revolves around Colonel "Biff" Hawton, who becomes intrigued by a toy rocket ship that appears to defy the laws of physics through an impressive demonstration. The gadget is revealed to be nothing more than a cleverly rigged illusion using an invisible thread, yet it triggers a profound insight among several missile men who observe it. They come to realize that while the toy itself is a mere trick, there lies a fractional weight decrease that might hint at a groundbreaking discovery. The story ultimately suggests that innovations can sometimes emerge from unexpected sources, leading to significant advancements in technology and space travel. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 83.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 37319 2025-08-09T13:15:59.811808 text/html 33353 2007-10-12T05:58:40 text/html 161791 2025-08-09T13:16:03.395792 application/epub+zip 160612 2025-08-09T13:16:01.358802 application/epub+zip 67819 2025-08-09T13:16:00.285817 application/epub+zip 287711 2025-08-09T13:16:04.849820 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 281781 2025-08-09T13:16:02.745832 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 87742 2022-09-10T16:07:16.108798 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 31280 2025-08-09T13:15:59.579815 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 31196 2007-10-12T05:58:40 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 75597 2007-09-08T16:50:46 application/octet-stream 41549 2007-09-08T16:50:46 application/octet-stream 83681 2007-09-08T16:50:46 application/octet-stream 77418 2007-09-08T16:50:46 application/octet-stream 1210538 2007-09-08T16:50:46 application/octet-stream 80305 2007-09-08T16:50:46 application/octet-stream 81807 2007-09-08T16:50:46 application/octet-stream 24340 2025-08-09T13:16:05.030836 application/rdf+xml 7619 2025-08-09T13:16:00.769802 image/jpeg 2138 2025-08-09T13:16:00.525845 image/jpeg 108333 2007-10-12T05:58:42 application/octet-stream application/zip 12033 2007-10-12T05:58:42 application/octet-stream application/zip 161093 2025-08-09T13:15:59.823788 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia