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Looking Backward: 2000-1887
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Looking Backward: 2000-1887 Paperback - 1982

by Edward Bellamy; Introduction by Cecelia Tichi


Summary

It is the year 2000-and full employment, material abundance and social harmony can be found everywhere. This is the America to which Julian West, a young Bostonian, awakens after more than a century of sleep. West's initial sense of wonder, his gradual acceptance of the new order and a new love, and Bellamy's wonderful prophetic inventions - electric lighting, shopping malls, credit cards, electronic broadcasting - ensured the mass popularity of this 1888 novel. But however rich in fantasy and romance, Looking Backward is a passionate attach on the social ills of nineteenth-century industrialism and a plea for social reform and moral renewal. In her introduction, Cecelia Tichi discusses how the novel echoes the anguish and hopes of its own age while it embodies a sustaining myth of the American literary tradition-that man's perfectibility is attainable in the New World.

From the publisher

It is the year 2000-and full employment, material abundance and social harmony can be found everywhere. This is the America to which Julian West, a young Bostonian, awakens after more than a century of sleep. West's initial sense of wonder, his gradual acceptance of the new order and a new love, and Bellamy's wonderful prophetic inventions - electric lighting, shopping malls, credit cards, electronic broadcasting - ensured the mass popularity of this 1888 novel. But however rich in fantasy and romance, Looking Backward is a passionate attach on the social ills of nineteenth-century industrialism and a plea for social reform and moral renewal. In her introduction, Cecelia Tichi discusses how the novel echoes the anguish and hopes of its own age while it embodies a sustaining myth of the American literary tradition-that man's perfectibility is attainable in the New World. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

From the rear cover

Edward Bellamy's utopian novel about a nineteenth-century Bostonian who awakes after a sleep of more than one hundred years to find himself in the year 2000 in a world of near-perfect cooperation, harmony, and prosperity. The novel had an enormous impact at the time of its publication, setting in motion a wave of reform activity and creating a vogue for utopian novels that continued over the next three decades.

Details

  • Title Looking Backward: 2000-1887
  • Author Edward Bellamy; Introduction by Cecelia Tichi
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reissue
  • Pages 240
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Group, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • Date 1982-12-16
  • Features Bibliography, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780140390186 / 0140390189
  • Weight 0.38 lbs (0.17 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.9 x 5.04 x 0.46 in (20.07 x 12.80 x 1.17 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Religious Orientation: Christian
  • Library of Congress subjects Science fiction, Time travel
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 82014986
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

About the author

Edward Bellamy (March 26, 1850 - May 22, 1898) was an American author and socialist, most famous for his utopian novel, Looking Backward, 2000-1887, a tale set in the distant future of the year 2000. Bellamy's early novels, including Six to One (1878), Dr. Heidenhoff's Process (1880), and Miss Ludington's Sister (1885) did not bring him much renown, but a turn to utopian science fiction with Looking Backward, published in January 1888, captured the public imagination and catapulted Bellamy to literary fame. Within a year the book had sold some 200,000 copies and by the end of the 19th century it had sold more copies than nearly any other book published in America up to that time, as well as spawning political movements around the country. Bellamy died of tuberculosis at the age of 48.
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Looking Backward: intro by Cecilia Tichi

by Bellamy, Edward

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Looking Backward: 2000-1887
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Looking Backward: 2000-1887

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Looking Backward: 2000-1887

Looking Backward: 2000-1887

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Looking Backward : 2000-1887

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Looking Backward : 2000-1887
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Looking Backward : 2000-1887

by Bellamy, Edward

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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