AN ECLECTIC LIBRARY.

Roots of Science Fiction.

☛Books and stories with fantastic or imaginative elements that point the way toward the future genre of scientific romance, or science fiction. Many of them are utopian satires. We have arranged these works chronologically.

Sir Thomas More.

A fruteful, and pleasaunt worke of the beste state of a publyque weale, and of the newe yle called Utopia: written in Latine by Syr Thomas More knyght, and translated into Englyshe by Raphe Robynson Ctizein and Goldsmyth of London, at the procurement, and earnest request of George Tadlowe Citizein & Haberdassher of thesame Citie. Imprinted at London by Abraham Wele, dwelling in Pauls churchyarde at the Sygne of the Lambe, Anno, 1551.

A frutefull pleasaunt, & wittie worke, of the beste state of a publique weale, and of the newe yle, called Utopia: written in Latine, by the right worthie and famous Syr Thomas More knyght, and translated into Englishe by Raphe Robynson, sometime fellowe of Corpus Christi College in Oxford, and nowe by him at this seconde edition newlie perused and corrected, and also with diuers notes in the margent augmented. Imprinted at London, by Abraham Wele, dwellinge in Pauls churchyarde, at the signe of the Lambe. [1556.]

A frutefull pleasaunt, and wittie worke, of the best state of a publique weale, & of the new yle, called Utopia: written in Latine, by the right worthie and famous Syr Thomas More knyght, and translated into English by Raphe Robynson, sometime fellowe of Corpus Christi College in Oxford, & nowe by him at this seconde edition newlie perused and corrected, and also with divers notes in the margent augmented. Imprinted at London, by Abraham Wele, dwellinge in Pauls churchyarde, at the signe of the Lambe. Now revised by F. S. Ellis & printed again by William Morris at the Kelmscott Press, Hammersmith, in the County of Middlesex. Finished the 4th day of August, 1893.

Utopia: Written in Latin by Sir Thomas More, Chancellor of England: Translated into English [by Gilbert Burnet]. London: Richard Chiswell, 1684. —Quoth the librarian: “1st ed. of Burnet’s translation.”

Cyrano de Bergerac.

Histoire comique. Par Monsieur de Cyrano Bergerac [sic]. Contenant Les États & Empires de la Lune. Lyon: Christophle Fourmy, 1662.

Les nouvelles oeuvres de Monsieur de Cyrano Bergerac.Contenant L’Histoire comique des estats & empires du soleil; plusieurs lettres et autres pieces diuertissantes. Paris: Charles de Sercy, 1662.

Les Oeuvres Diverses de Monsieur de Cyrano Bergerac. Amsterdam: Daniel Pain, 1699. —Includes the Histoire comique. Both volumes are included in this scan.

The Comical History of the States and Empires of the Worlds of the Moon and Sun. Written in French by Cyrano Bergerac. And newly Englished by A. Lovell, A.M. London: Henry Rhodes, 1687.

A Voyage to the Moon by Monsieur Cyrano de Bergerac. New York: Doubleday and McClure Co, 1899. —A reprint of Lovell’s translation from 1687. In pencil at the top of the title page: “Expurgated.”

Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle.

The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-World. Written by the Thrice Noble, Illustrious, and Excellent Princesse, the Duchess of Newcastle. London: A. Maxwell, 1668. —This is identified by the librarian as “Observations Upon Experimental Philosophy: To which is Added, the Description of a New Blazing World”; and indeed the two were printed together, but the Observations Upon Experimental Philosophy are not in this scan.

Joshua Barnes.

Gerania: A new discovery of a little sort of people, anciently discoursed of, called pygmies. With a lively description of their stature, habit, manners, buildings, knowledge, and government; being very delightful and profitable. By Joshua Barnes. London: Printed by W. G. for Obadiah Blagrave, 1675.

Delarivier Manley.

Secret Memoirs and Manners of Several Persons of Quality, of Both Sexes. From the New Atalantis, an Island in the Mediteranean. Written originally in Italian. London, 1709.
The second volume. 1709.

Ludvig Holberg.

Nicolai Klimii iter subterraneum: novam telluris theoriam ac historiam quintae monarchiae adhuc nobis incognitae exhibens e bibliotheca B. Abelini. Hafniae & Lipsiae: Sumptibus Iacobi Preussii. 1741. —In this copy the frontispiece is hand-colored; other illustrations are missing, probably stolen and sold. They may be found in the French translation below.

A Journey to the World Under-Ground. By Nicholas Kilmius. Translated from the Original. The second edition. London: R. Baldwin and B. Collins, 1749.
The first edition. London: T. Astley, 1742.

Voyage de Nicolas Klimius dans le monde souterrain, contenant une nouvelle téorie de la terre, et l'histoire d'une cinquiême monarchie inconnue jusqu’ à present. Ouvrage tiré de la Bibliothéque de Mr. B. Abelin; et traduit du Latin par Mr. de Mauvillon. A Copenhague, chez Jaques Preuss, 1741. —The preface by Mauvillon is worth reading, and this edition includes the illustrations, which are not found in the English translation.
Another copy.

Journey to the World Under Ground; being the Subterraneous Travels of Niels Klim. From the Latin of Lewis Holberg. London: Thomas North, 1828.

Niels Klim’s Journey Under the Ground; being a narrative of his wonderful descent to the subterranean lands; together with an account of the sensible animals and trees inhabiting the planet Nazar and the firmament. By Louis Holberg. Translated from the Danish by John Gierlow. with a sketch of the author’s life. Boston: Saxton, Peirce & Co., 1845. —The original was written in Latin; apparently there was a Danish translation by a famous Danish poet. Since the translator does not mention the Latin in his preface, we wonder whether he was aware that he was translating a translation. This version is also available at Project Gutenberg.

Voltaire.

Le Micromégas de Mr. de Voltaire. Avec Une Histoire des Croisades & Un nouveau plan de l’Histoire de l’Esprit Humain. Par le meme. Londres. 1752. —A handwritten note on the flyleaf: “Londres = Gotha?”

Filippo Morghen

Raccolta delle cose più notabili veduta dal cavaliere Wild Scull, e dal Sigr: de la Hire nel lor famoso viaggio dalla Terra alla Luna (A Collection of the Most Notable Things Seen by Sir Wild Scull and Signor de la Hire on Their Famous Voyage from the Earth to the Moon). [1770.] —This is an astoundingly imaginative set of ten engravings; describing them would not convey the cleverness of them. Transport Dr. Seuss to the eighteenth century, and this is what you get.

Richard Adams Locke

The Moon Hoax; or, a discovery that the moon has a vast population of human beings. By Richard Adams Locke. Illustrated with a view of the moon as seen by Lord Rosse’s telescope. New York: William Gowans, 1859. —Originally a series of newspaper articles in 1835, which were taken for truth by many readers. Edgar Allan Poe was a little miffed that Locke’s hoax was more successful than his own “Hans Pfaall,” but he was not miffed enough to withhold his praise of Locke:

MR. RICHARD ADAMS LOCKE is one among the few men of unquestionable genius whom the country possesses. Of the “Moon Hoax” it is supererogatory to say one word—not to know that argues one’s self unknown. Its rich imagination will long dwell in the memory of every one who read it, and surely if

the worth of any thing
Is just so much as it will bring —

if, in short, we are to judge of the value of a literary composition in any degree by its effect—then was the “Hoax” most precious. —“An Appendix of Autographs,” in Graham’s Magazine, January, 1842.

James Fenimore Cooper

The Monikins; Edited by the Author of "The Spy." In two volumes [both included in this scan]. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea, & Blanchard, 1835. —The first American edition, at archive.org (it seems not to be available on Google Books).

The Monikins. By J. F. Cooper. Paris: Baudry's European Library, 1835. —Unfortunately most of the first half of this scan is useless; it seems as if the librarian took half the book to figure out how the equipment worked. We have not been able to determine whether this or the American edition is the original; probably the American, since Cooper was back in the United States by this time. At any rate, this was published the same year as the first American edition. We have an original copy of this edition before us now: it is a neat little octavo volume, printed in heavy modern type of the Didot fashion.

What the work is about, passes our comprehension. It is said to be a Satire; but the eyes of an Argus, were they twice the fabled number, could not discern it. The volumes have neither consistency of plot, nor grace of execution. Every thing is cloudy, distorted, and unnatural. Man is degraded to a monkey, and made to play such antics as could scarcely be conceived of, except by one of the race. The author has become a convert, we should fancy, to the theory of Buffon; at least he has furnished, in the production of this work, the most plausible and practical illustration of the Frenchman’s hypothesis, that we have ever met with.

We have no desire to disparage Mr. Cooper,—and with his political opinions we have nothing to do. Many of them are generally consonant with our own; and we honor, from the bottom of our hearts, his predominant love of country. He has already done much to exalt her intellectual name; but if he perseveres in his pseudo-satirical emanations, he will do more to depress, than he has ever done to elevate it. We conjure him to pause on the barren thoroughfare upon which he has entered, and retrace his steps to those flowery ways, where he whilome disported with such pleasure to himself, and edification to the public. There are several isolated passages and scenes in the Monikins, that indicate his usual strength; but they are thrown away most unprofitably, amid a mass of husks and garbage, of whose elements or use no conjecture can be formed.

——Knickerbocker, August 1835.