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Hugo Gernsback
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Ralph 124C 41+ Kindle Edition

by Hugo Gernsback (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 out of 5 stars 57 ratings
The eponymous protagonist saves the life of the heroine by directing energy remotely at an approaching avalanche. As the novel goes on, he describes the technological wonders of the modern world, frequently using the phrase "As you know..." The hero finally rescues the heroine by travelling into space on his own "space flyer" to rescue her from the villain's clutches.
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  1. Print length
    90 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    e-artnow
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    March 31, 2020
  6. File size
    2.8 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

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

From the Back Cover

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.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B086LK77BD
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ e-artnow
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 31, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 90 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Best Sellers Rank: #2,427,129 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars 57 ratings

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Hugo Gernsback

Hugo Gernsback

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
57 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers consider this science fiction book a classic, with one review noting its prophetic nature. The readability receives positive feedback, with one customer comparing it favorably to Jules Verne's works. However, some customers find the writing tedious.

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Science fiction storyReadabilityReadableness
8 customers mention "Science fiction story"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate this science fiction classic, with one review noting its prophetic nature and another highlighting its interesting scenes.

"...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!..." Read more

"...found on Youtube where this book is mentioned as an early example of science fiction......" Read more

"...Read this if you want a quaintly futuristic, doubly-anacronistic romp, a shallow space opera, or an interesting artifact from the start of the last..." Read more

"The prophetic nature of this story is astonishing...." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable, with one comparing it favorably to Jules Verne's works.

"...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...." Read more

"...deep take away...and as long as you understand that, it is an enjoyable enough read." Read more

"...What is also interesting is that the book not only serves as entertainment, but education as well...." Read more

3 customers mention "Readableness"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the book difficult to read, with one describing the writing as incredibly tedious.

"...At times the story and writing is just incredibly tedious and I feel like I'm listening to Grandpa Simpson from 'The Simpsons' talk about the onion..." Read more

"...There are phrases that read awkward, whether due to the age or lack of focus on literature I don't know...." Read more

"Horrible publishing 6 point type almost unreadable..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Joseph A. Nickence
    5.0 out of 5 stars A classic revisited
    Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    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!
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Spruce Moose
    3.0 out of 5 stars Antiquated Sci-Fi for the Discerning Nerd
    Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I heard about this book from some some old History Channel documentary found on Youtube where this book is mentioned as an early example of science fiction...
    If the concepts wanders away from you, the book reminds you of it several times in its numerous prefaces and forewords. One of them even goes so far as to claim it is in fact the first science fiction story, throwing a bit of shade at the likes of HG Wells and Jules Verne....and by name! No mere subtle allusions.

    It is entirely appropriate that the idea of this being a grand daddy of Science Fiction is emphasized though because it is truly the only reason to give this book a look through.

    The story has a handful of interesting scenes where Ralph lives out every man's dream: saving his crush from danger using science! Most of the time though, Ralph is explaining to his lady friend the workings of the science fiction of the year 2660 and through that the reader learns about it.
    You will use all your nerd and geek trivia knowledge to spot long since dismissed scientific concepts, like the existence of 'ether,' or spot concepts that are very much in existence now. Much has been made about night baseball games being described in this book but the things that really put a smile on my face were things I interpreted as a description of more modern phenomena like memes, drones, hover boards (in the contemporary sense, not the Back to the Future type), and the idea of vacations where the whole point is to disconnect from news and media by turning off your phone reception, more or less.
    The biggest eyebrow raiser is a scene that is eerily similar to a scene in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith involving a show where there is a zero gravity water ball with people swimming in it. If George Lucas didn't take that idea directly from this book, I would be amazed by such a tremendous coincidence.

    Unfortunately, this geek trivia hunt isn't always consistently fun. At times the story and writing is just incredibly tedious and I feel like I'm listening to Grandpa Simpson from 'The Simpsons' talk about the onion on his belt.
    This is a book where the novelty of it is far more interesting than the content. You'll read it to say you read it rather than any deep take away...and as long as you understand that, it is an enjoyable enough read.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • wiredweird
    4.0 out of 5 stars Technological optimism off the leash
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    Hugo Gernsback (SF's "Hugo" awards are named for him) wrote this in 1911, so a big part of its value comes from campy quaintness. Set in the year 2660, everything is grander and more glorious than what we poor slobs of centuries 20-21 could possibly imagine - something that Ralph points out with remarkable frequency. The story itself has lagged the times, a formulaic romance of accidents, kidnappings, and heroic saves.

    Many parts of this hundred-year-old story are decidedly dated, not least the references to the "ether" that carries light waves. Some just look silly to a modern eye, including the broadcast power distribution (sort of like a live-in microwave oven), electric roller skates, or restaurant that serves only liquid food, pumped through pipes to patrons turned off by the idea of chewing. And the daily disinfections, killing off all bacteria in the body, look positively pernicious, now that we know more about the importance of our symbiotic microbes.

    A few points are strikingly prescient, though. Cable video might have been the obvious next thing, once telephonic voice transmission was common. Gernsback went even farther and predicted "video walls" tiled from many smaller video panels, and even channel surfing, albeit with patch-cord panels rather than typed URLs.

    Read this if you want a quaintly futuristic, doubly-anacronistic romp, a shallow space opera, or an interesting artifact from the start of the last century. If you're looking for light, contemporary fiction, look onward. This is probably best for the hard-core SF fan or for the historian of technology trying to understand the social context of the time. The right reader will find a lot to enjoy, but it's not for everyone.

    -- wiredweird
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Maureen H
    5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
    Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The prophetic nature of this story is astonishing. Gernsback imagined headphones, flying cars, space ships, zero G, radio communication between ships and planets, terraforming, cryosleep (but with heat), planetary growth, television, video chatting, AND the internet! All in one book!
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  • Placeholder
    5.0 out of 5 stars Steam punk Love Story!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I never read a book in my life except in school or college, this was my first! Timeline is my 2nd and I just finished it too, thanks to my wife for lighting my fuse!
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  • Mark Salditch
    3.0 out of 5 stars It's Pronounced: Ralph One To Foresee For One!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2000
    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.
    27 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • kinghu
    1.0 out of 5 stars Maybe if you're a student in SF archeology
    Reviewed in France on April 22, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Like 1984, War of the world, WE, or Brave New World, this thing belongs to the category of "first SF novels ever written in our galaxy", except that contrary to its brethren , it's very boring and dated in a way I didn't expect. Stopped it after a few chapters.
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  • Pierre Gerard
    3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting SciFi novel from 1911, cheapest layout (or no layout at all)
    Reviewed in Germany on September 11, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    It's thrilling for me to read how people over 110 years ago expected the technical future to be. Good reading for techs, nerds, literates probably would be disappointed by his writing.
    The text itself is public domain by now, the paperback is made in the cheapest of ways. No idea where they got the text from, but it's full of mistakes, wrong layout, narrow text, almost no margin. Therefore sadly it's tiring to read.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Remote surgery visioned in 1950's SF classic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2003
    Verified Purchase
    I first read this book as a 15 year old and the memory of it has been a vivid beacon in the hisory of my SF reading. This is a story set in 2660 in which the climax of the book is a successful act of complicated surgery undertaken by a robot controlled remotely by a surgeon many thousands of miles from the scene. The surgeon is battling to save the life of his beloved, only he has the skills to do so and remote control surgery is the only way he can be there in time to perform the op. A clever blend of SF and romantic fiction but well worth reading, because the technology is within sight - we'll see it before 2060, let alone 2660. Enjoy
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  • Sebastian Stüber
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Classic
    Reviewed in Germany on July 21, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting mainly due to the time of its creation (1920s), the plot is okay, but includes lot of nerd fun. E.g. devices that empty out the ether leading to total darkness, and anti-gravitation as electromagnetic phenomenon. Truly a commemorative edition.
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  • Erik
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good, light and easy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Charming in a comic-book sort of way. A good, light and easy, and sometimes surprisingly prescient read.
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