Man in the Moon (Barnabe Riche) - Godwin, Bishop Francis

Edited with Introduction and Annotations by John Anthony Butler; Originally written in the early 1600s; Clean, tight, unmarked; spine straight and uncreased; very minimal wear; This is an enigmatic work, being at once an early voyage imaginaire, a quasi-utopia, and an early work of science fiction. Preposterous as the notion must seem today that the harnessing of birds might actually take a man into space, the imaginative logic and detail with which the trip is prepared suspends our disbelief. The trip itself is a wonderful accumulation of religious and ancient lore, which Dr. Butler spells out in full historical and critical introduction, beginning with the theories of the ancients concerning the moon and its possible inhabitants. This work is further testimony to the fact that earth's closest neighbour in space has fire the human imagination, and has served as a locus for placing some of the social and natural "othernesses" that have been born of imagination and speculation.
Very Good
Soft cover
Dovehouse Editions
1995
Ottawa, ON