Project Gutenberg 2022-04-25 Public domain in the USA. 168 Smith, George O. (George Oliver) 1911 1981 Smith, George Oliver Long, Wesley Orban, Paul 1896 1974 Lost Art $aUnited States :$bStreet & Smith Publications, Incorporated,$c1943. Venus Equilateral Produced from Astounding Science-Fiction, December 1943 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Lost Art" by George O. Smith is a science fiction novella written in the early 1940s. Set against the backdrop of a futuristic Mars, the story explores the rediscovery of advanced technology from an ancient Martian civilization, particularly focusing on a mysterious beam tower and a technical manual detailing its functions. The narrative delves into themes of technological evolution and the cyclical nature of knowledge, suggesting that breakthroughs in science can become enigmas for future generations. The plot follows two Terran characters, Barney Carroll and Jim Baler, as they uncover remnants of a lost Martian technology, initially mistaking it for an abandoned signal device. They excavate a beam tower that contains a complex electronic artifact linked to a manual filled with advanced mathematics and engineering principles. As they experiment with the technology, they accidentally harness its power and inadvertently create a series of citywide electrical disruptions. Despite their initial failures and humorous misadventures, their perseverance leads them to realize the device's potential as a method of transmitting electric power over vast distances. Ultimately, the story culminates in their understanding that while this technology could revolutionize energy distribution, the practicality of its use may be lost in translation to their own civilization, reflecting on the continuity of knowledge across time. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20220221124429smith 1943 US Reading ease score: 84.4 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Martians -- Fiction Mars (Planet) -- Fiction Electrical engineers -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 83245 2025-07-27T04:59:07.110921 text/html 59894 2024-10-18T21:15:23 text/html 446419 2025-07-27T04:59:09.303906 application/epub+zip 446401 2025-07-27T04:59:07.542901 application/epub+zip 92921 2025-07-27T04:59:07.297895 application/epub+zip 489992 2025-07-27T04:59:10.775924 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 482267 2025-07-27T04:59:09.087933 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 129261 2022-09-30T15:07:36.955705 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 75631 2025-07-27T04:59:06.876900 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 55770 2024-10-18T21:15:23 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17651 2025-07-27T04:59:10.928870 application/rdf+xml 28558 2025-07-27T04:59:07.399890 image/jpeg 4965 2025-07-27T04:59:07.347886 image/jpeg 408433 2025-07-27T04:59:07.129950 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