| "Patent Pending" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short story by Arthur C. Clarke | |||
| Country | United Kingdom | ||
| Language | English | ||
| Genre(s) | Science fiction, fantasy | ||
| Publication | |||
| Published in | Adventure | ||
| Publisher | Popular Publications | ||
| Publication date | November 1954 | ||
| Chronology | |||
| Series | Tales from the White Hart | ||
| |||
"Patent Pending" is a science fiction short story by English writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1954. It was also published as "The Invention". It later appeared in his collection Tales from the White Hart.[1]
"Patent Pending" is a frame story, purporting to recount a scientific tall tale told by a certain Harry Purvis at the (fictional) "White Hart" pub in London sometime in the 1950s, during a discussion of literary censorship (at the expense of the censors).
A review of Tales from the White Hart in Fantastic Universe called attention to "Patent Pending" as an example of stories in the collection that had a "haunting gleam of plausibility", which, according to the reviewer, gave the collection a "peculiar charm".[2]
- ^ Clarke, Arthur C. (1957). Tales from the White Hart. London: Ballantine Books. p. Forward.
- ^ Santesson, Stefan (April 1957). "Universe in Books". Fantastic Universe. 7 (4): 108. Retrieved 16 August 2024.