One of the most extraordinary, imaginative and ambitious novels of the century: a history of the evolution of humankind over the next 2 billion years. Among all science fiction writers Olaf Stapledon stands alone for the sheer scope and ambition of his work. First published in 1930, Last and First Men is full of pioneering speculations about evolution, terraforming, genetic engineering and many other subjects.

1974 1st Am Ed. Hyperion

Sirius is Thomas Trelone's great experiment - a huge, handsome dog with the brain and intelligence of a human being. Raised and educated in Trelone's own family alongside Plaxy, his youngest daughter, Sirius is a truly remarkable and gifted creature. His relationship with the Trelones, particularly with Plaxy, is deep and close, and his inquiring mind ranges across the spectrum of human knowledge and experience. But Sirius isn't human and the conflicts and inner turmoil that torture him cannot be resolved.

One moment a man sits on a suburban hill, gazing curiously at the stars. The next, he is whirling through the firmament, and perhaps the most remarkable of all science fiction journeys has begun.

Even Stapledon's other great work, LAST AND FIRST MEN, pales in ambition next to STAR MAKER, which presents nothing less than an entire imagined history of life in the universe, encompassing billions of years.

A Revelation of the Planet Venus in Fact and Fiction by Arthur C. Clarke - C.S. Lewis - Olaf Stapledon - Poul Anderson and many others.
The swirling clouds of mystery that cloak the planet Venus have exercised an unrivaled fascination for the most powerful imaginations of our day. Now at last their most dazzling flights have been gathered together.

Contents:

I. CLOUDED JUDGEMENTS
Destinies of the Stars by Svante Arrhenius
Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon
Pirates of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

II. "VENUS IS HELL!"
Exploring the Planets by V.A. Firsoff
The Big Rain by Poul Anderson
Intelligent Life in the Universe by Carl Sagan

III. BIG SISTER
Escape to Venus by S. Makepeace Lott
Sister Planet by Poul Anderson
Before Eden by Arthur C. Clarke

IV. THE OPEN QUESTION
Some Mysteries of venus resolved by Sir Bernard Lovell
Dream of Distance by Anonymous
Venus Mystery for Scientists by John Davy

"No book before or since has ever had such an impact upon my imagination," declared Arthur C. Clarke of Last and First Men. This masterpiece of science fiction by British philosopher and writer Olaf Stapledon (1886–1950) is an imaginative, ambitious history of humanity's future that spans billions of years. Together with its follow-up, Star Maker, it is regarded as the standard by which all earlier and later future histories are measured.
The protagonist of this compelling novel is humanity itself, stripped down to sheer intelligence. It evolves through the ages: rising to pinnacles of civilization, teetering on the brink of extinction, surviving onslaughts from other planets and a decline in solar energy, and constantly developing new forms, new senses, and new intellectual abilities. From the present to five billion years into the future, this romance of humanity abounds in profound and imaginative thought.

John Wainwright is a freak—a human mutation with an extraordinary intelligence which is both awesome and frightening to all who come into contact with him. Ordinary humans were just playthings to John—subjects for an endless chain of experiments. Their feelings, and sometimes even their lives, are expendable.

Odd John has a plan—to create a new order on Earth, a new supernormal species. But the world is not ready for such a change...

Though this is a work of fiction, it does not pretend to be a novel. It has no hero but man. Since its purpose is not the characterization of individual human beings, no effort has been made to endow its few persons with distinctive personalities. There is no plot, except the theme of man's struggle in this awkward age to master himself and to come to terms with the universe.

在有限的篇幅中，奥拉夫·斯塔普雷顿以时间为轴线，以人类群体的更迭为节点，将漫长历史中最为动荡的变迁与奇遇一一浓缩呈现在读者眼前。旅程始于欧洲战争，人类社会在各种动荡、希望和灾难中延续了20亿年，发展出了18代人类。期间经历了多国战争、东西方阵营对峙、第一世界政权、火星人入侵、移民金星、基因改造、太阳爆发、流浪星球……最终，人类即将走向灭亡。最后的人类通过意识入侵了最初的人类的大脑，并操控他写下这部关于人类未来的编年史。

本书是英国科幻小说大师斯塔普雷顿的最高杰作，在《剑桥科幻文学史》《科幻之路》等该领域的权威研究著作中被冠以极高的地位，被列入美国科幻作家协会推荐的100本经典书目中，被收入《理想藏书》经典科幻书单。作为一本科幻小说，它已被公认为经典；作为一本预言书，它预测了人类的全部历史，其中一些已经应验，另一些正在应验。