  We present optical and ultraviolet observations of nearby type Ic supernova
SN 2017ein as well as detailed analysis of its progenitor properties from both
the early-time observations and the prediscovery Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
images. The optical light curves started from within one day to $\sim$275 days
after explosion, and optical spectra range from $\sim$2 days to $\sim$90 days
after explosion. Compared to other normal SNe Ic like SN 2007gr and SN 2013ge,
\mbox{SN 2017ein} seems to have more prominent C{\footnotesize II} absorption
and higher expansion velocities in early phases, suggestive of relatively lower
ejecta mass. The earliest photometry obtained for \mbox{SN 2017ein} show
indications of shock cooling. The best-fit obtained by including a shock
cooling component gives an estimate of the envelope mass as $\sim$0.02
M$_{\odot}$ and stellar radius as 8$\pm$4 R$_{\odot}$. Examining the
pre-explosion images taken with the HST WFPC2, we find that the SN position
coincides with a luminous and blue point-like source, with an
extinction-corrected absolute magnitude of M$_V$$\sim$$-$8.2 mag and
M$_I$$\sim$$-$7.7 mag.Comparisons of the observations to the theoretical models
indicate that the counterpart source was either a single WR star or a binary
with whose members had high initial masses, or a young compact star cluster. To
further distinguish between different scenarios requires revisiting the site of
the progenitor with HST after the SN fades away.
