Full Description
Exploring the hollow earth from the 17th century to the present.
The bizarre idea that the earth's interior is hollow and, perhaps, even populated has been put to effective literary use by writers ranging from Edgar Allen Poe and Jules Verne to Rudy Rucker and Edgar Rice Burroughs. This notion had respectability as a scientific hypothesis until the early 1800s, and the theory that the earth "is hollow and inhabitable within" continues to find believers as an alternative description of the earth to this day.
The hollow earth is one of the most important settings in the literature of the imagination that fed into early science fiction. Subterranean Worlds presents a fascinating look at the theme of the hollow earth and its history, as well as the geological theories which produced many of these stories. It excerpts key passages from the major subterranean world fictions, some translated into English for the first time. With helpful introductions to each selection and a comprehensive bibliography, this book is the definitive treatment of this entertaining topic.
Contents
A Bluffer's Guide to The Underworld: An Introduction to the Hollow Earth
Theories and Descriptions of the Inner Earth, from Kicher to Symmes
Relation D'Un Voyage Du Pole Arctique Au Pole Antarctique
Lamekis ou les voyages extraordinaries d'un Egyptien dans la terre interieure
The Journey of Niels Klim to the World Underground
The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins
A Voyage to the World in the Center of the Earth
L'aventurier Francois
L'Icosameron
John Cleves Symmes Jr. and Symzonia
Collin de Plancy: Voyage au centre de la terre
Edgar Allen Poe and "the Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym"
Jules Verne: Voyage au centre de la terre
After Verne: Later Developments
