 Cover of the Ticknor & Co. first edition of Looking Backward, 2000–1887 | |
| Author | Edward Bellamy |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Utopian novel Science fiction |
| Publisher | • Ticknor & Co. (Jan. 1888) • Houghton Mifflin (Sept. 1889) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | vii, 470 |
| Followed by | Equality (1897) |
Looking Backward: 2000–1887 is a utopian[1] time travel[2] science fiction novel by the American journalist and writer Edward Bellamy first published in 1888.[3]
The book was translated into several languages, and in short order "sold a million copies."[4] According to historian Daniel Immerwahr, "In the 19th-century United States, only Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold more copies in its first years" than Bellamy's book.[5]
The novel inspired several utopian communities. In the United States alone, over 162 "Bellamy Clubs" sprang up to discuss and propagate the book's ideas.[6] According to Erich Fromm, "It is one of the few books ever published that created almost immediately on its appearance a political mass movement."[7]
Looking Backward influenced many intellectuals, and appears by title in many socialist writings of the day. Owing to its commitment to the nationalization of private property and the desire to avoid use of the term "socialism," this political movement came to be known as Nationalism (not to be confused with the political ideology of nationalism).[8]
- ^ Rothstein, Edward (February 5, 2000). "Paradise Lost: Can Mankind Live Without Its Utopias?". The New York Times. pp. B7. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ Sloat, Warren (January 17, 1988). "Looking Back at 'Looking Backward': We Have Seen The Future And It Didn't Work". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
an entertaining time-travel story with an upbeat ending.
- ^ "Bellamy, Edward". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. January 16, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ Teller, Walter (December 31, 1967). "Speaking of Books: Looking Back at 'Looking Backward'". The New York Times. pp. 2, 12. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ Immerwahr, Daniel (July 2, 2021). "The Strange, Sad Death of America's Political Imagination". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Walter James (1982). "Introduction". Looking Backward 2000–1887, by Edward Bellamy. Penguin. ISBN 9781101213018.
- ^ Fromm, Erich (1960). "Foreward". Looking Backward 2000–1887, by Edward Bellamy. Signet. pp. vi. ISBN 9780451524126.
- ^ Bellamy, Edward (September 1890). "What "Nationalism" Means". The Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art. 52 (3): 289–300 – via HathiTrust.