A Short Account of a Remarkable Aerial Voyage and Discovery of a New Planet

Synopsis

Product Description This Dutch romance of 1813 has long been listed in surveys of the prehistory of science fiction...Bilderdijk (1756- 1831) was an influential Dutch poet whose sole work of fiction responds to many of the same forces that helped to create the Promethean work of modern science fiction, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818). The industrial revolution, continuing discoveries in astronomy and other sciences as well as the Montgolfiers' first balloon flights in 1783 inspired Bilderdijk to write his own variation on the popular fantastic voyage genre. His nameless adventurer is transported by balloon to a hitherto unknown moon that he surmises may be the biblical Eden torn from the Earth...One more welcome clue (especially here with Vincent's helpful annotations) to the elusive origins of the science-fiction genre.--Publishers Weekly. From Library Journal In this 19th-century novel by a seminal Dutch writer, a demonstration of the principles of the hot air balloon goes awry and results in the discovery of a strange new planet, hidden from the Earth by the moon. Published along with an introduction and afterword discussing its historical significance, Bilderdikj's only work of fiction deserves a place in academic libraries. JC Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.