A Plunge Into Space - Early Sci-Fi & Jules Verne (An Antique Books Guide)

Early Sci-Fi

Science Fiction has been around in various forms from the tenth century an more recently with Jonathan' Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels' and Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'.

However, true Sci-Fi, as we know it today, truly bloomed when developments such as electricity came about. Jules Verne is the most notable pioneer, with dozens of books focussing on Sci-Fi topics such as 'Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' and 'From the Earth to the Moon'.

These works developed the public's general understanding of technology and considered what the future may hold. For example, in 'Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea', Verne writes about an electric submarine that uses electricity to protect itself and as a weapon. This is the kind of remarkable fore-sight that lead to Verne's popularity.

However, there is also a British writer who followed in Verne's footsteps and explore the topic of space travel specifically in an 1890 novel titled 'A Plunge Into Space'. This Victorian novel delved into space exploration, albeit of a rudimentary form and was in fact one of the first works of fiction that dealt largely with space.

Below are a few examples of this book from the fabulous covers to the foreword by Jules Verne and then the content itself.

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