- Paperback: 48 pages
- Publisher: Dodo Press (July 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1409914356
- ISBN-13: 978-1409914358
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.2 x 0.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 86 g
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Fitz-James O'Brien (1828-1862) was an Irish author and is often considered one of the forerunners of today's Science Fiction. While he was in college he had shown an aptitude for writing verse, and two of his poems - Loch Ine and Irish Castles - were published in The Ballads of Ireland (1856). He travelled to the United States in 1852. His earliest writings in the United States were contributed to the Lantern, which was then edited by John Brougham. Subsequently he wrote for the Home Journal, the New York Times, and the American Whig Review. His first important literary connection was with Harper's Magazine, and beginning in 1853, with The Two Skulls, he contributed more than sixty articles in prose and verse to that periodical. He likewise wrote for the New York Saturday Press, Putnam's Magazine, Vanity Fair, and the Atlantic Monthly. To the latter he sent The Diamond Lens (1858) and The Wondersmith (1859), which are unsurpassed as creations of the imagination, and are unique among short magazine stories. His other works include: Horrors Unknown (1858) and What Was It? A Mystery (1859).
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
3.0 out of 5 stars
Devilish Dolls, Oct 19 2011
By Elliot - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
Irish-born, New York-based author Fitz-James O'Brien wrote some of the earliest science fiction stories, including The Diamond Lens (1858) and What Was It? A Mystery (1859). This novelette (also from 1859) is more supernatural horror than science fiction-- it is about Gypsy sorcerors who animate dolls to carry out a fiendish scheme-- but it can also be seen as a precursor of SF stories about rebellious robots. It is, despite its age, still a pretty good read, if you can get past the decidedly un-PC tone of the story (it has nasty, if offhand, remarks about Jews and Italians on the first page, and the plot centers on evil Gypsies out to avenge themselves on "Christian children").One minor point of historical interest-- the story talks about Santa Claus bringing toys to children on New Year's Eve, not Christmas Eve. I have to assume that was the way it was done in New York in the 1850s.
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
