Null-abc by H. Beam Piper

In a future America where literacy is rare, prized, and politically explosive, Null-ABC turns knowledge itself into a battleground. Senator Chester Pelton thrives in a society that mocks "book-learnin'," but his polished anti-Literate politics, family tensions, and public bravado begin to crack under the pressure of unrest, propaganda, and hidden dependencies. Even the practical machinery of modern life exposes the hypocrisy of a world that despises Literates while relying on them for everything. Against this backdrop, school official Ralph N. Prestonby patrols a violent Twenty-second Century high school that feels more like a war zone than a classroom, armed bodyguards and grim humor barely masking the danger. As riots loom and political factions maneuver behind the scenes, Prestonby becomes entangled with Claire Pelton, Chester's daughter, whose secret literacy and growing authority in her father's store complicate both her loyalties and the struggle for power. What begins as sharp social satire expands into a fast-moving science-fiction cautionary tale about anti-intellectualism, class conflict, propaganda, and the dangerous question of who gets to control the written word. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.