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Francis Bacon
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The New Atlantis Paperback – May 22, 2010

by Francis Bacon (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 141 ratings
Originally published in Latin as Nova Atlantis in 1624, this is an unabridged edition.
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  1. Print length
    68 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Watchmaker Publishing
  4. Publication date
    May 22, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 0.16 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1603863362
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1603863360
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Watchmaker Publishing
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 22, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 68 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1603863362
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1603863360
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.21 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.16 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 141 ratings

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Francis Bacon

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
141 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's style compelling and consider it good value for money. The readability receives mixed feedback, with several customers describing it as wordy. The philosophy aspect also draws mixed reactions, with one customer appreciating its far-reaching insights into the future, while another finds it too Christian-oriented. The book's length receives criticism, with one customer noting it's only 40 pages long.

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Value for moneyStylePhilosophyReadabilityLength
6 customers mention "Value for money"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth their money, with one mentioning that the introduction was interesting enough.

"...Well worth the time to read the content. Bacon's style captures a descriptive element that shows he had a far reaching insight into the future...." Read more

"...Greatly enjoyed the book and all the philosophical concepts that are woven into the story." Read more

"...The Introduction was interesting enough that I briefly researched the American Utopian Societies that were mentioned on pages vi & vii...." Read more

"Delivery on time and enjoyed the book." Read more

4 customers mention "Style"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the style of the book, with one mentioning that the font is supersize and bold.

"...Bacon offers a compelling look at how religion and science can build a strong society...." Read more

"...of Bacon the statesman: generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendor, piety and public spirit...." Read more

"...Well worth the time to read the content. Bacon's style captures a descriptive element that shows he had a far reaching insight into the future...." Read more

"font is supersize and bold!..." Read more

10 customers mention "Philosophy"6 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book's philosophical content, with some finding it fascinating and profound, while others find it too Christian-oriented.

"...captures a descriptive element that shows he had a far reaching insight into the future...." Read more

"...and ends up being about 38 pages of build-up for 2 pages of a disappointing philosophy (give or take a little)...." Read more

"...Greatly enjoyed the book and all the philosophical concepts that are woven into the story." Read more

"...works by the esteemed Lord Bacon, but this one was too much for me in it's religiosity, and convoluted story-telling style...." Read more

5 customers mention "Readability"2 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with some finding it wordy and hard to follow.

"This is a very short text: 85pp for the two pieces, plus an intro...." Read more

"...the best introduction to Bacon and his thinking, it is very accessible to modern day readers, most of whom will be able to follow a fictional sailor..." Read more

"...There's no white space. Lots of words blended into each other. So, it's hard to read...gives me a headache. What would be ideal is 12 to 14 pt...." Read more

"...'s control over nature and providing for the comfort and convenience of all people, and England's Royal Society and similar organizations dedicated..." Read more

6 customers mention "Length"0 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's length, with some appreciating its size while others find it too short, with one customer noting it's only 40 pages long.

"...The text is very readable though a bit large in the Kindle edition." Read more

"...It is only 40 pages long, and ends up being about 38 pages of build-up for 2 pages of a disappointing philosophy (give or take a little)...." Read more

"...It's very short, so I pressed ahead to finish it just so I could say I was committed to do so. Recommended only for the staunchest Bacon fan." Read more

"...So, I ordered this larger font. The problem is this is super large 18 pt and bold. There's no white space. Lots of words blended into each other...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Dr. Kevin M. Derby
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Lasting Utopian Classic
    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    My expectations were low for the Kindle version of Francis Bacon's "The New Atlantis"--it was free after all--but there is a reason this utopian tale is still in print almost 400 years after it was first published. Bacon offers a compelling look at how religion and science can build a strong society. While "New Atlantis" is perhaps not the best introduction to Bacon and his thinking, it is very accessible to modern day readers, most of whom will be able to follow a fictional sailor's account of his encounter with the fictional island of Bensalem. The text is very readable though a bit large in the Kindle edition.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Lawrance Bernabo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Two classic early utopias from the Age of Reason
    Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2003
    Verified Purchase
    It had been nearly a century since Thomas More's "Utopia" had been published, and these two classic Age of Reason utopias spurred a revitalized interest in the genre that remains unabaited to this day. However, in proposing science as the ultimate source of human salvation, Francis Bacon and Tomasso Campnaella were taking an approach quite different from More in positing his utopia.
    "The New Atlantis" is the philosophical and intellectual utopia envisioned by Francis Bacon. Published in 1627, the year after the author's death by his literary executor, speculation is that Bacon wrote his story in 1623 or 1624, which would be after his fall from political power. Unlike many of his other major works, Bacon wrote "The New Atlantis" in English and then had it translated into Latin, an indication that he intended it for a wider, English-speaking audience. Bacon focuses on the duty of the state toward science, and his projections for state-sponsored research anticipate many advances in medicine and surgery, meteorology, and machinery. Although "The New Atlantis" is only a part of his plan for an ideal commonwealth, this work does represent Bacon's ideological beliefs. The inhabitants of Bensalem represent the ideal qualities of Bacon the statesman: generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendor, piety and public spirit.
    Bacon breaks from Plato, Aristotle and other ancient writers by insisting that humans do not need to aspire to fewer desires because the extraordinary advances of science would make it possible to appease bodily desires by providing material things that would satisfy human greed. For Bacon there is no reason to waste time and energy trying to get human beings to rise to a higher moral state. In his conception of Solomon's House we see the what Bacon the scientist envisioned for the future of human knowledge in an unfettered intellectual setting. It is easy to see the modern research university is the utility of Bacon's great college. Ultimately, Bacon clearly sees the advances of science as the best way of increasing humanity's control over nature and providing for the comfort and convenience of all people, and England's Royal Society and similar organizations dedicated to scientific progress are generally regarded as embodying Bacon's utopian vision.
    Tomasso Campanella was a Calabrian monk who published "The City of the Sun" in 1623, a utopian vision that certain reflects the idealism and revolutionary trends of thought in the Age of Reason. Campanella was a student of logic and physics who formulated the first scientifically based socialistic system, which makes "The City of the Sun" important because it serves as the model for all subsequent ideal communities. The earliest version was written in Italian in 1602, and was later revised in an abbreviated Latin version two decades later. It is this Latin version, which is better known, that is provided here, although the Italian work was published posthumously in 1637.
    The tale here is told by a sea captain who has visited an island called Taprobane (quite possibly Sumatra). He tells of finding a land where there is community property, labor is divided equitably among the people, and there is no need for money. In "The City of the Sun" all of the inhabitants work towards the common good, entrusting their government to the wisest and ablest among them, and prizing equality and self-sacrifice for the sake of the community above all. The system is so efficient that all work is completed in a four-hour work day. The influences of not only Sir Thomas More but Plato is clearly seen in this utopian vision, especially in the notion of scientifically controlling breeding.
    However, like More, Campanella discourses on the topics of religion, justice, and war. The religion of the City of the Sun is clearly Christianity, but with sun figures representing God in the temples and the clergy being pure in their conduct (remember, Campanella lived the monastic life). The head of the government is called Hoh, and his chief ministers are Pon (Power), Sin (Wisdom), and Mor (Love). Clearly the Hoh (which means metaphysics) is fashioned after Plato's philosopher-king, since he has to know all of the sciences, as well as metaphysics, theology, and the history of all kingdoms and their governments. Science is what drives this utopia (which comes from Telesius rather than Plato), which develops power-propelled ships and flying machines, and which will create the ideal world Campanella envisions.
    The obvious comparison is between the utopias of Campanella and Bacon, but the former goes much farther is developing his seven-sided city than the latter, where Bacon is concerned primarily with emphasizing the duty of the state to foster scientific research. However, both utopias underscore the idea that science will solve the evils of this world. These early utopias do not usually receive as much consideration as the dystopian novels of the 20th century, but the works of Campanella and these others certainly represent the utopian ideal in its purest form.
    38 people found this helpful
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  • Jashryn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
    Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Anything Francis Bacon writes is fascinating. The New Atlantis is actually a description of what we are now living in. Bacon describes this quite clearly in this writing of a journey he takes. Well worth the time to read the content. Bacon's style captures a descriptive element that shows he had a far reaching insight into the future. He lived in the sixteenth century and could see the twenty-first century.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Mark
    3.0 out of 5 stars Scientific Pursuit of Betterment
    Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
       English Renaissance Philosopher, Father of Empiricism,  Creator of the Scientific Method, Attorney General,  & Lord Chancellor of England,  Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626) left behind an unfinished novel (published posthumously) offerring a detailed vision of Utopia that reads like a fable, called New Atlantis. 

         Bacon offers a vision for a society driven mainly by science and knowledge, with its only driving principle being the bettering of man’s feeble condition. To that end, Bacon redefines science as being concerned solely with “the relief of man’s estate” and not with the pursuit of truth as a good in and of itself. The moral of the story could be summarized in Bacon’s famous dictum, “knowledge is power".
    I would rephrase as "Knowledge is empowerment when employed for Betterment."
    2 people found this helpful
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  • D. Daniels
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Bacon
    Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is a classic, and since I was playing the part of Sir Francis Bacon at a "Night of the Notables" meeting of great philosophers, this was one of my top choices for my research, along with the complete essays. Greatly enjoyed the book and all the philosophical concepts that are woven into the story.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Cynthia M. Brewer
    5.0 out of 5 stars I love Francis Bacon.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    All people should know this instinctively, but they have been conditioned not to speak or act upon it. It is time for the wicked to stop perspiring mat the suffering of the righteous.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Prof Lindsay Falvey
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Book for Our Time
    Reviewed in Australia on May 7, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Usually described as a utopian novel, the book’s uniqueness lies in its early (17th century) origin and its apparently prescient vision on aspects of modern life. Bacon’s mix of what we call scientific investigation with moral ideals define his imagined tribe/nation of enlightened members of the community in his delightfully named city of Bensalem. Within that idyllic place, Solomon's House combined the spectrum of human knowledge and its search for understanding in what many have read as the origins of modern universities. I am not so sure that we need to draw that particular long bow. We should recall that Bacon was already in a developing intellectual environment that had developed through the Middle Ages and was to subsequently to blossom. The association of wisdom with knowledge development in the pure, applied and social sciences was the usual worldview of intellectuals up to his time. It was what we once called the Natural Sciences, an integrated concept that we have swamped by our technological focus that owes more to his contemporary Descartes. Perhaps we can see Bacon and a ‘Beacon’ that can lead back to that essential integration that defines science in its earlier definitions. Overall, this is a delightful book to read and well deserves five stars as a long-lasting beacon of hope for humanity,
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  • Adventure
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good service
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting book
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  • Kunal P.
    5.0 out of 5 stars good economic read
    Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2018
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    good economic read. as an economist, i felt that the book provided in-depth knowledge about the perfect utopia and the generic ideas about it. good resource
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  • Kris
    2.0 out of 5 stars Poor printing.
    Reviewed in India on June 10, 2018
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    While this book is only 45 pages long, it is a physically difficult read. This a prescribed read for M.A English.
    The type is set in 6 point and the initial pages are one long solid block of text. And in the inner margin print is missing in every page.
    The quaint english style while needing to be studied is rendered difficult because of the print style and type style.
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    Kris
    2.0 out of 5 stars
    Poor printing.

    Reviewed in India on June 10, 2018
    While this book is only 45 pages long, it is a physically difficult read. This a prescribed read for M.A English.
    The type is set in 6 point and the initial pages are one long solid block of text. And in the inner margin print is missing in every page.
    The quaint english style while needing to be studied is rendered difficult because of the print style and type style.
    Images in this review
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    Report
  • Daley Atkinson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Thought Inspiring Read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book can take a few reads to fully absorb into your head, but it'd be worth the time required for such reading. As it does have a very interesting story behind it. Along with a few lovely quotes which could assist in reviewing your own life.

    Or well, it certainly put me in a philosophical mood to say the least. The thoughts of which shall remain private.
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