L. W. Currey, Inc.

"Inhabitant, The." THE GREAT ROMANCE. A REDISCOVERED UTOPIAN ADVENTURE. [By] The Inhabitant [pseudonym]. Edited by Dominic Alessio. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, [2008]. Octavo, pictorial wrappers. First U.S. edition. Republication of the two surviving parts of the 1881 edition published in Ashburton, New Zealand, by the [Ashburton] Guardian Office. 50-page introduction, notes and bibliography by Dominic Alessio. "Eutopia set in 2143. The focus in the eutopia is on the ability to read thoughts and its effect on behavior. Women are less able to control their thoughts than men. Crime becomes impossible. Marry young. Scientifically advanced. Much of both volumes is taken up with interplanetary travel; there is considerable material on the supposed flora and fauna of Venus including a brief description of a humanoid couple whose simple life could be considered eutopian. It is clear that a third volume was planned, but there is no evidence that it was published. In a number of articles, Alessio argues that it influenced Edward Bellamy’s popular U.S. eutopia LOOKING BACKWARD (1888). Although these are remarkable volumes for their time and place, influence is doubtful." - Sargent, British and American Utopian Literature, 1516-1985, Additions. A fine copy. (#160088).

Price: $25.00