The Essential Robert Duncan Milne: Stories by the Lost Pioneer of Science Fiction

(Hardback)

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This collection showcases the speculative writing of Scottish-born and California-based writer Robert Duncan Milne (1844-99) whose works mark him as one of the forgotten pioneers of early science fiction. Hailed as the first full-time science fiction writer in America, this critical edition draws together the most expansive collection of his writing ever published and places his life, works and themes into their historical, literary and scientific contexts. With his writing touching on nearly every subset of the genre, including climate catastrophe, utopia, cryogenics, molecular re-engineering of the body, personality transfer, drone warfare, remote surveillance, and satellite phones, this book offers an overdue correction to the science fiction canon. Grouped thematically and with volume and story introductions that connect Milnes work to his peers and science fiction scholarship, this is the essential guide to a crucially overlooked writer. Astonishingly prescient and fulfilling the missing link in science fiction literary history that bridges the gap between the likes of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, Milne makes clear the often-obscured contribution of both Scotland and California in the development of the science fiction genre.

Author Bio

Robert Duncan Milne was a late 19th-century Science Fiction writer born in Cupar, Scotland but who was based in San Francisco. His work was primarily published in newspapers and the magazine The Argonaut. His works were rediscovered and collected together Into the Sun & Other Stories (1980) by Sam Moskowitz. Keith Williams is Reader in English at the University of Dundee, Scotland, where he runs the science fiction programme. His books include H.G. Wells, Modernity and the Movies (2007) and James Joyce and Cinematicity: Before and After Film (2020). He has researched and published widely on early science fiction and its prescience about modern media and communications. Ari Brin obtained her M.Litt in Science Fiction from the University of Dundee in 2017. Her PhD research since 2016 has focused on the life and work of Robert Duncan Milne, involving the collection, transcription, and analysis of over 100 works of fiction.