Four Short Stories by Edward Page Mitchell

Résumé du livre

Before H.G. Wells. Before Verne. Before "science fiction" had a name-Edward Page Mitchell was already inventing the future. This curated volume brings together four of Mitchell's most radical and foundational works of proto-science fiction, originally published anonymously in the late 1800s. From infinite-speed paradoxes and brain-machine hybrids to spectral soul detection and early time travel, these stories don't just predate modern sci-fi-they define it. Included are: "The Tachypomp" (1874): A hilarious mathematical satire in which love and velocity spiral toward the infinite. "The Soul Spectroscope" (1875): A haunting exploration of consciousness, ethics, and the possibility of quantifying the human soul. "The Ablest Man in the World" (1879): A visionary tale of cognitive enhancement, artificial intelligence, and the engineering of genius. "The Clock That Went Backward" (1881): One of the first time travel stories ever written-long before Wells's time machine. Each story is paired with AI-literacy prompts, discussion questions, and a predictions-versus-reality timeline that connects 19th-century imagination to 21st-century technology. Whether you're a science fiction fan, STEM educator, or cultural historian, this volume invites you to revisit the moment when literature first collided with logic, invention, and the limits of human understanding. Part of the Foundations of STEM Fiction series, Edward Page Mitchell offers readers a forgotten doorway into the imaginative roots of computation, ethics, and impossible machines.