Ralph 124C 41+: A Romance of the Year 2660 (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) [Paperback]

Hugo Gernsback (Author), Jack Williamson (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Bison Frontiers of Imagination | Publication Date: September 1, 2000

By the year 2660, science has transformed and conquered the world, rescuing humanity from itself. Spectacular inventions from the farthest reaches of space and deep beneath the earth are available to meet every need, providing antidotes to individual troubles and social ills. Inventors are highly prized and respected, and they are jealously protected and lavishly cared for by world governments. That support and acclaim, however—as the most brilliant of scientists, Ralph 124C 41+, discovers—is not without its price.

This visionary novel of the twenty-seventh century was written by Hugo Gernsback (1887–1964), founder of the influential magazine Amazing Stories. Marvelously prophetic and creative, Ralph 124C 41+ celebrates technological advances and entrances readers with an exuberant, unforgettable vision of what our world might become. This commemorative edition makes this landmark tale widely available for the first time in decades and features the prized Frank R. Paul illustrations from the rare first edition, a list of inventions and technological devices, and Hugo Gernsback's prefaces to the first and second editions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Students of early science fiction will welcome the University of Nebraska Press''s series Bison Frontiers of Imagination."—Times Literary Supplement

(Times Literary Supplement )

About the Author

Jack Williamson is the author of numerous classic novels, including The Humanoids and Three from the Legion. He was recently inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Product Details

• Paperback: 322 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803270984
• ISBN-13: 978-0803270985
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,138,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's Pronounced: Ralph One To Foresee For One!, September 8, 2000

By 

Mark Salditch (dallas, tx United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ralph 124C 41+: A Romance of the Year 2660 (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) (Paperback)

This is the seminal work in sci-fi by the man who's editing direction shaped the modern genre, Hugo Gernsback, the guy they named the Hugo Awards after.

A future where everyone wears electric roller skates, has a number instead of a last name and cities have moving side walks... One of theose travelogues of the future extrapolated by a writer from the very beginings of the pulp era. The gadgetry seems almost Victorian, the philosophy seems dated, yet somehow you'll never forget this book.

I read this book in the early 60's and it was already very quaint and dated even back then. But somehow I've never forgotten it and parts of this book come to mind even now almost 40 years later. If you've ever seen the 1930 film "Just Imagine," then this is the literary equivalant.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic revisited, February 17, 2005

By 

Joseph A. Nickence (Gladstone, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ralph 124C 41+: A Romance of the Year 2660 (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) (Paperback)

I came across this title in the usual way: surfing for something almost, but not quite related. I knew of Gernsback's publications. And I'm quite familiar with the SF award that bears his first name. But it never dawned on me that the man actually wrote SF himself. I had to read this obvious classic.

Only knowing a glimmer of the book's contents, I jumped in. Fully expecting stuff so "left field" from today's technology, I was quite surprised with Gernsback's predictions. A few of them are fairly accurate, and at least one is square on target. And winding through it all is a darling, innocent love story to boot. It reads as good as any Jules Verne, or H.G. Welles story!

Don't let either the title or it's author scare you off from reading this. You'll be glad you did!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A so-so work of literature, but a very historical one., January 9, 2007

By 

Ju H. Joh (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ralph 124C 41+: A Romance of the Year 2660 (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) (Paperback)

If you were to take away the historical context of this book, and treat it as a pure piece of science fiction, it would be a poor purchase, two stars at best. Plot seems contrived at times, and overly romantic. (Perhaps because the book wasn't actually a book but orginally published as many installments of magazine story.) There are phrases that read awkward, whether due to the age or lack of focus on literature I don't know. Having said that, I still give it four-stars, and there is a reason why science fiction achievement award is named after Hugo Gernsback.
This book is widely considered the first science fiction and Hugo credited with creation of the term 'science fiction.'

It is a must read for serious fans of science fiction. But for casual readers, you'd be glad modern SF is leaps and bounds more interesting. (Then again, who knows what people will say a hundred years from now about Star Wars?)