Last and First Men (Dover Books on Literature & Drama) - Softcover

9780486466828: Last and First Men (Dover Books on Literature & Drama)
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No book before or since has ever had such an impact upon my imagination,"" declared 2001 author Arthur C. Clarke of this masterpiece of science fiction. An imaginative, ambitious history of humanity's future that spans billions of years, this 1930 epic abounds in prescient speculations. A must-read for scholars of the genre.

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Review:
Olaf Stapledon's first novel Last and First Men, published in 1930, has sometimes been called science fiction's Bible--a sweeping, exhilarating history of humanity's future. Its awesome timescale, stretching across five billion years, was an inspiration to the young Arthur C. Clarke, who later wrote: "No book before or since ever had such an impact on my imagination." However, Last and First Men should come with a health warning: The early chapters, dealing with near-future politics from the viewpoint of 1930, are mired in dodgy short-term speculation and have dated badly. Soon Stapledon rings down the curtain on us "First Men" as an uncontrolled nuclear reaction sweeps the world and boils the oceans--and now his imagination takes flight. The Second Men are plagued with invasions of cloud-like Martians; the bat-eared, six-fingered Third Men deliberately create the Fourth Men who are essentially huge, immobile brains ... and so on through ever-vaster gulfs of time. Individuals, nations, civilizations, even species are evocatively shown as mayflies flickering in and out of existence in an immense, chilly cosmos that goes uncaringly on forever. Yet it's not a gloomy work: even as the dying Sun promises to become their funeral pyre, the Last Men affirm that "It is very good to have been man." Another classic choice from Millennium SF Masterworks. --David Langford
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One of the great classics of the first half of the 20th century - 2 billion years of mankind's history

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  • PublisherDover Publications Inc.
  • Publication date2008
  • ISBN 10 0486466825
  • ISBN 13 9780486466828
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages256
  • Rating

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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. This masterpiece of science fiction is an imaginative, ambitious history of humanity's future that spans billions of years. A must-read for scholars of the genre, this 1930 epic abounds in prescient speculations. "No book before or since has ever had such an impact upon my imagination," declared Arthur C. Clarke of Last and First Men. This masterpiece of science fiction by British philosopher and writer Olaf Stapledon (18861950) is an imaginative, ambitious history of humanity's future that spans billions of years. Together with its follow-up, Star Maker, it is regarded as the standard by which all earlier and later future histories are measured. The protagonist of this compelling novel is humanity itself, stripped down to sheer intelligence. It evolves through the ages: rising to pinnacles of civilization, teetering on the brink of extinction, surviving onslaughts from other planets and a decline in solar energy, and constantly developing new forms, new senses, and new intellectual abilities. From the present to five billion years into the future, this romance of humanity abounds in profound and imaginative thought. This masterpiece of science fiction is an imaginative, ambitious history of humanity's future that spans billions of years. A must-read for scholars of the genre, this 1930 epic abounds in prescient speculations. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780486466828

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