Other Worlds

Garrett Putnam ServissProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 306K words
Chapters: 31

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Other Worlds by Garrett Putman Serviss. Author: Serviss, Garrett Putman, 1851-1929. Language: English. Class: QB: Science: Astronomy. Release Date: May 22, 2006

Editor's review

Garrett Putman Serviss was an American writer of popular astronomy from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Other Worlds is a popular work in the astronomy category, reissued by Project Gutenberg as a free eBook. Serviss excelled at explaining celestial knowledge to a general audience, and this book discusses other worlds beyond Earth, reflecting the era's popular scientific imagination about the planets and the cosmos. Its value lies not in offering the latest conclusions of contemporary astronomy, but in showing how people understood the solar system and worlds beyond a century ago; it is vivid material for the history of science and of popular science writing. Readers can see the narrative style of early popular science, the observational limits of the time, and the evolution of scientific ideas. It suits readers interested in the history of astronomy and the history of science communication, and also serves as supplementary reading for understanding the origins of science-fictional imagination. Read it with a historical eye, distinguishing the understanding of that time from today's conclusions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of astronomy and early popular science writing
Science enthusiasts who want to understand the late-nineteenth-century view of the cosmos
Scholars and students studying science communication and the origins of science-fictional ideas
Readers who enjoy slowly reading old English popular science and practicing English along the way

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the latest knowledge and data of contemporary astronomy
Beginners expecting rigorous, textbook-style systematic explanation

Reading tips

Note as you read where the book differs from today's astronomical common knowledge, and make a table comparing how ideas evolved.
After each chapter, look up modern astronomy's explanation of that topic and compare the changes across a century.
Treat it as a work in the history of science rather than a knowledge handbook, focusing on the reasoning and imagination of the time.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book science fiction or science?

It is a popular astronomy work discussing worlds beyond Earth, with the scientific speculation characteristic of its era, but it is not a fictional novel. It is best understood within the context of late-nineteenth-century popular science writing.

Is the astronomical knowledge in the book still valid?

The book was written long ago, and many of its specific conclusions have been revised or superseded by modern observation. Its value lies mainly in the history of science and of popular science writing, not as a reference for current astronomical knowledge.

How difficult is the English, and is it suitable for reading practice?

Serviss's popular-science style is aimed at general readers; the sentences are long but the vocabulary is not especially difficult. With a university-level English foundation, readers can attempt it with a dictionary, practicing English while encountering an early popular-science style.

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About the author

Garrett Putnam Serviss Author · American · 1851–1929

Garrett Putnam Serviss (1851–1929) was an American astronomer, popular science writer on astronomy, and early science fiction author. A Cornell University graduate, he worked as an editor at the New York Sun. He excelled at turning complex astronomical knowledge into accessible prose; works such as Astronomy with an Opera-glass, Pleasures of the Telescope, and Curiosities of the Sky invited ordinary readers to explore the night sky. At the same time, he was an early writer to blend astronomical imagination with adventure narratives, producing science fiction including Edison's Conquest of Mars, A Columbus of Space, The Moon Metal, and The Second Deluge, which deal with interstellar travel, extraterrestrial civilizations, and catastrophes, and exerted a degree of influence on early science fiction. Ten of his works are held in this collection. Public information is limited, and details of his life and the classification of his works remain to be further verified.