List of Early Science Fiction (PD and not yet in the catalog!)

Suggest and discuss books to read (all languages welcome!)
ChuckW
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Post by ChuckW »

sjmarky wrote:I like that the play was "Printed but not published by the author at his medical institute". I have to admit, it's intriguing.
I know, right? This article sheds some light on the author and this book... and the whole thing just seems too ridiculous to pass up!

http://io9.gizmodo.com/5890703/the-worst-science-fiction-novel-of-the-19th-century
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Post by sjmarky »

I know, right? This article sheds some light on the author and this book... and the whole thing just seems too ridiculous to pass up!
yikes
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ChuckW
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Post by ChuckW »

Another recommendation, this time for something legitimately great...

Phrenology, A Detector of Murder: A Tale of the Fortieth Century

This one is a doozy: a murder mystery wrapped up inside a satirical work of photo-steampunk held together by puns, barbs, and footnotes... all originally published in 1840!

The plot summary alone should have you intrigued (from io9):

"The anonymously-written Anti-Humbug: Phrenology as Detector of Murder is a murder mystery set in the 40th century. The most powerful political figure of the 40th century is the Landgrave of von Epperstein, who is possessed of advanced technology. He has a giant condor whose intelligence has been boosted to human levels through galvanic plates in its brain. The condor can be summoned through a galvanic telegraph or through an infinitely-extensible acoustic tube. The Landgrave also has an enormous dirigible, which he uses to take flights to Mars and Venus. Other steam technology includes a steam razor, steam-powered locomotives which travel along railways connecting the earth, the moon, and Jupiter, and steam-powered robot gardeners and valets. But the marriage between the Landgrave and the Landgravine, Honoratissimatatremenda, is not a happy one. The Landgravine falls in love with Starzen, the handsome son of the ruler of Chimborazo province in Ecuador. The Landgravine uses hypnosis to put her husband to sleep, then murders him by driving a nail through his head. But Starzen uses phrenology to examine the Landgrave's skull, discovers the nail, leading to the Landgravine's arrest and conviction. (Her sentence: wearing men's clothing)."

I was actually thinking about recording this myself, but just trying to wrap my mouth around some of the prose in this one was far too challenging for me. I submit this to all interested parties... it's a total blast.
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ChuckW
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Post by ChuckW »

I hope you guys don't mind me constantly resurrecting this old thread. I just picked up a copy of Science Fiction: The Early Years from the local library, and the whole thing is chock full of fascinating SFF novels we've yet to record.Ie've found some really interesting projects that could be added to this ever-expanding list:

Gloriana, or The Revolution of 1900 (Lady Florence Dixie) - Feminist utopian fiction that features cross-dressing, kidnapping, and a matriarchal political revolution. Looks really, really fun.

Yezad: A Romance of the Unknown (George Babcock) - Somewhat bizarre mixture of interplanetary fiction and occult teachings. A pretty wild one.

Hallie Marshall: A True Daughter of the South - Alternate history story about a man who travels to an alt-United States where the Confederacy won the Civil War. Somewhat utopian in tone. Reportedly not quite as racist as that summary makes it sound (although still pretty racist).

The Struggle for Empire (Robert William Cole) - Early space opera, described in the book as a sort of 19th-century E.E. Smith.

The Queen of Appalachia (Joe H. Borders) - Bizarre story about a magical secret monarchy somewhere in the heart of Kentucky. Seems like a pretty nutty book.

I'll post more as I stumble upon them...
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Carolin
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Post by Carolin »

i dont know what this is but the frontispiece has spaceships
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54096
Olga Romanoff by George Chetwynd Griffith
Carolin
ChuckW
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Post by ChuckW »

Carolin wrote:i dont know what this is but the frontispiece has spaceships
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54096
Olga Romanoff by George Chetwynd Griffith
This is actually a sequel to a book we already have in the catalogue.

https://librivox.org/the-angel-of-the-revolution-by-george-griffith/

So yeah... someone should DEFINITELY record it!

(I'll volunteer to DPL for any of these books, FYI... especially this one or Gloriana!).
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ChuckW
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Post by ChuckW »

Okay, no more fooling around. This isn't some obscure, barely known gem. This is one of the big masterpieces of Victorian science fiction.

THOTH

Here's the summary:
"One of the major science-fiction novels of the nineteenth-century" - Everett F. Bleiler

Daphne is rescued by a mysterious man from a plague in ancient Athens, and transported to a city somewhere in Africa which he rules. The city is full of technological wonders far beyond those of Daphne's Greece, and she is invited by him to become his queen. However, Daphne soon discovers that dark secrets lie behind the marvels she has seen; and her powerful stranger is secretly plotting the destruction of all mankind!

Joseph Shield Nicholson (1850-1927) was a highly regarded British economist, political theorist and academic. The author of many books and articles on economic theory, he published 'Thoth' anonymously.
The best part is that the book is only 228 pages... perfect for a shortish solo project.
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Elizabby
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Post by Elizabby »

Good find! I reckon this one would lend itself to a female voice too - which I feel a lot of SF does not. This one is definitely going on my list - I speak Greek too, and I see there are lots of Greek names in this one!
ChuckW
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Post by ChuckW »

Elizabby wrote:Good find! I reckon this one would lend itself to a female voice too - which I feel a lot of SF does not. This one is definitely going on my list - I speak Greek too, and I see there are lots of Greek names in this one!
Ooooo, that would be fabulous! Let me know if or when you decide to do this. I'd love to be your DPL. :-)

(And now I feel like I should try to compile a list of female-oriented SFF in the public domain. I suspect it would be a short list.)
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annise
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Post by annise »

Please don't . We have never restricted our readers on a sex basis - except in a few Dramatic things and publishing a list implies that we are. All we need for our readers is that they can read and talk understandably.

So please - no sexual, racial, gender, accent, hair colour, age ...... and any other restrictions to be stated or implied.
If you want to read Tinkebell sometime go ahead :D :D

Anne
ChuckW
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Post by ChuckW »

annise wrote:Please don't . We have never restricted our readers on a sex basis - except in a few Dramatic things and publishing a list implies that we are. All we need for our readers is that they can read and talk understandably.

So please - no sexual, racial, gender, accent, hair colour, age ...... and any other restrictions to be stated or implied.
If you want to read Tinkebell sometime go ahead :D :D

Anne
Um... I think you might have misunderstood me. I meant SFF stories with strong female protagonists, not books to be narrated only by certain types of volunteers.
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annise
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Post by annise »

that's good
I don't think you'll find many from that era - girls weren't meant to be interested in Science and space and those things and boys were just as type cast. You only have to look at the covers to see that the girls who did appear in SciFi couldn't even find enough clothes to wear :D

Anne
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Post by Availle »

annise wrote: You only have to look at the covers to see that the girls who did appear in SciFi couldn't even find enough clothes to wear :D
:lol: :lol:

So true! :thumbs:
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ChuckW
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Post by ChuckW »

annise wrote:that's good
I don't think you'll find many from that era - girls weren't meant to be interested in Science and space and those things and boys were just as type cast. You only have to look at the covers to see that the girls who did appear in SciFi couldn't even find enough clothes to wear :D

Anne
You're not kidding! The only stuff I've found in the public domain that might qualify (aside from Thoth) are feminist utopias, like Herland and New Amazonia. In the rest, women are often just window dressing and door prizes.

(And for the record, modern SFF has gotten way better with this stuff.)
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Carolin
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Post by Carolin »

https://archive.org/details/lastinvasion00brotgoog
The Last Invasion
by Donal Hamilton Haines , Harper & Brothers

https://archive.org/details/clearingseasorl01haingoog
Clearing the Seas: Or, The Last of the Warships
by Donal Hamilton Haines
Haines, Donal Hamilton (1886-1951) US writer, in his later career usually about American football; his two connected sf novels for Young Adult readers, The Last Invasion (1914) and Clearing the Seas; Or, the Last of the Warships (1915), describe various aspects of a moderately futile Future War in which the United States is invaded by the "Blues" (whom E F Bleiler thinks must be Germans), who are eventually driven off, and war itself discounted for good. [JC]
quote from http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/haines_donal_hamilton
Carolin
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