Project Gutenberg 2016-04-21 Public domain in the USA. 147 Lang, Allen Kim 1928 Lang, Allen K. Francis, Dick Francis, Richard D. World in a Bottle Produced from Galaxy Magazine October 1960 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "World in a Bottle" by Allen Kim Lang is a science fiction novel written in the early 1960s. The story explores themes of isolation, human experimentation, and the longing for connection, following a group of individuals who have been raised in a sterile environment, entirely separated from outside bacteria and microorganisms. The narrative revolves around John Bogardus, a "Lapin," who grapples with the implications of his existence in a world without contamination and his unrequited love for a woman from the outside world. The plot centers on John and his companions, who are human guinea pigs raised in a controlled environment by scientists studying gnotobiotics. As they navigate their sterile lives, John's romance with Anne, an outsider, leads him to confront the stark realities of love and physical intimacy that are rendered impossible due to his germ-free condition. The narrative deepens when one of their own, Mary, marries a contaminated man and faces the dire consequences of her choice, which serves as a catalyst for John and the rest of the Lapins to consider a future beyond their confined existence. Ultimately, they hatch a plan to embark on a journey into space aboard the "Orion Zeta", seeking freedom and the chance for genuine human connection. The story deftly intertwines their scientific background with the deeply human desire for love, autonomy, and exploration, making it a thought-provoking tale of longing amid isolation. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 74.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Man-woman relationships -- Fiction Experiments -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 106121 2025-07-20T15:17:53.650158 text/html 82786 2024-10-23T00:22:43 text/html 408340 2025-07-20T15:17:55.743205 application/epub+zip 409071 2025-07-20T15:17:54.046157 application/epub+zip 108077 2025-07-20T15:17:53.828145 application/epub+zip 457942 2025-07-20T15:17:57.173168 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 450461 2025-07-20T15:17:55.530121 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 149902 2022-09-23T15:40:25.598401 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 98555 2025-07-20T15:17:53.491144 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 78802 2024-10-23T00:22:43 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17917 2025-07-20T15:17:57.298116 application/rdf+xml 20471 2025-07-20T15:17:53.896134 image/jpeg 3682 2025-07-20T15:17:53.862143 image/jpeg 373027 2025-07-20T15:17:53.669190 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