DISCOVERIES IN THE MOON (1835) – The full title of this work is Discoveries in the Moon Lately Made at the Cape of Good Hope by Sir John Herschel. Originally published as a series of “real” scientific articles in the newspaper the New York Sun, this hoax was the written-word equivalent of the War of the Worlds radio broadcast of a century later. The series of fraudulent articles caused a sensation and increased the newspaper’s circulation exponentially before the Sun revealed it was all a work of fiction.
Richard Adams Locke wrote the two-month series under the name Sir John Herschel, a supposed British astronomer who had constructed at the Cape of Good Hope a seven ton telescope with a lens twenty-four feet in diameter. “Sir John” wrote all about the many species of lunar animal life his enormous telescope had permitted him to observe.
The articles described the appearance and habits of moon-buffaloes with furry flaps for eyebrows, single-horned blue goats who ran at incredible speeds and spheroid amphibians who rolled in and out of the waters of a two hundred sixty-six mile wide lake.
Those animals and many other species supposedly lived amid thirty-eight species of trees and pyramidal mountains made of amethyst. The story concluded with Herschel’s discovery of four feet tall winged humanoids who traveled in flocks like birds and walked upright when on land. The beings had copper-colored hair on their heads and yellowish skin.
Ironically, even after the whole affair was revealed as a hoax it was praised for exciting the public’s interest in astronomy and other sciences.
FOR WASHINGTON IRVING’S 1809 depiction of an invasion from the moon click here: https://glitternight.com/2014/05/05/ancient-science-fiction-the-men-of-the-moon-1809-by-washington-irving/
FOR MORE ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION CLICK HERE.
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Another wonderful find!! Thank you for sharing!
I foolishly was excited by the relatively late date of publication (compared to some of the earlier ones that you have posted in this series) and thought I might be able to get a copy of this book! Copies are available but dearer than a new-ish car!
Thanks! I know what you mean, the price of many of these items is very very high!
You are very welcome!
Who knows what lies in that dusty pile in the old book store? I always rummage through looking for gems – in hope rather than expectation! 😉
Yes, I can relate to that often vain hope of discovering a hidden treasure in a used book store!
We always have to have hope! 😉
I agree!
So, eh, “Yaller Press” ain’t nothin new?
Ha! Nope, not at all!
Great ancient science fiction stories. I found “Discoveries in the Moon” to be a fascinating science fiction story. It reminded me about classic science fiction films about space travel that I have seen. For instance, it brought to mind Alfonso Cuaron’s Oscar-winning film “Gravity”. It tells the story about an inexperienced female astronaut struggling to survive in space. One of the best movies of 2013. If you’re a fan of the science fiction genre, it’s a must-see.
Here’s why I recommend it strongly:
“Gravity” (2013) – Spectacular Space Thriller – The Film Buff (huilahimovie.reviews)