The Essential Works of Olaf Stapledon (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Cosmic Science Fiction Classics of Far Future Evolution, Superhuman Minds, and Human DestinyBy Olaf Stapledon
Length90h 52m
About this audiobook
The Essential Works of Olaf Stapledon gathers the visionary fictions that made Stapledon one of the central architects of modern speculative literature. Ranging from the evolutionary immensities of Last and First Men and Star Maker to the searching studies of exceptional consciousness in Odd John and Sirius, these works combine cosmic scale with philosophical seriousness. His prose is often austere, prophetic, and essayistic, less concerned with conventional plot than with the fate of mind, species, and civilization. In the context of early twentieth-century literature, Stapledon stands between scientific romance, modernist experimentation, and theological meditation. Olaf Stapledon (1886–1950) was trained in philosophy and psychology, served as a conscientious ambulance worker during the First World War, and later taught at the University of Liverpool. His pacifism, socialist sympathies, and fascination with ethics, evolution, and communal life deeply shaped his fiction. He wrote in an age shadowed by war, imperial decline, and scientific revolution, and transformed those anxieties into vast imaginative histories. This collection is recommended for readers who want science fiction at its most intellectually ambitious. Stapledon rewards patience with awe, moral challenge, and a rare enlargement of imaginative perspective.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreScience Fiction, Literary Classics
Length90 hrs 52 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 4, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Yale Classics (Vol. 1) (Annotated)
61III THE OTHER EARTH
2Novels
62IV I TRAVEL AGAIN
3Last and First Men
63V WORLDS INNUMERABLE
4Preface
64VI INTIMATIONS OF THE STAR MAKER
5Introduction By One of the Last Men
65VII MORE WORLDS
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6THE CHRONICLE
66VIII CONCERNING THE EXPLORERS
7II Europe’s Downfall
67IX THE COMMUNITY OF WORLDS
8III America and China
68X A VISION OF THE GALAXY
9IV An Americanized Planet
69XI STARS AND VERMIN
10V The Fall of the First Men
70XII A STUNTED COSMICAL SPIRIT
11VI Transition
71XIII THE BEGINNING AND THE END
12VII The Rise of the Second Men
72XIV THE MYTH OF CREATION
13VIII The Martians
73XV THE MAKER AND HIS WORKS
14IX Earth and Mars
74XVI EPILOGUE: BACK TO EARTH
15X The Third Men in the Wilderness
75A NOTE ON MAGNITUDE
16XI Man Remakes Himself
76Darkness and the Light
17XII The Last Terrestrials
77PREFACE
18XIII Humanity on Venus
78Part I - CRISIS
19XIV Neptune
79Part II - DARKNESS
20XV The Last Men
80Part III - THE LIGHT (pt. 1)
21XVI The Last of Man
81Part III - THE LIGHT (pt. 2)
22Last Men in London
82Sirius (pt. 1)
23PREFACE
83Sirius (pt. 2)
24INTRODUCTION THE FUTURE’S CONCERN WITH THE PAST
84Sirius (pt. 3)
25CHAPTER I THE WORLD OF THE LAST MEN
85Sirius (pt. 4)
26CHAPTER II EXPLORING THE PAST
86Death into Life (pt. 1)
27CHAPTER III THE CHILD PAUL
87Death into Life (pt. 2)
28CHAPTER IV PAUL COMES OF AGE
88Death into Life (pt. 3)
29CHAPTER V ORIGINS OF THE EUROPEAN WAR
89A Man Divided
30CHAPTER VI THE WAR
901 - A WEDDING FIASCO
31CHAPTER VII AFTER THE WAR
912 - VICTOR'S EARLY LIFE
32CHAPTER VIII THE MODERN WORLD
923 - BEGINNINGS OF OUR FRIENDSHIP
33CHAPTER IX ON EARTH AND ON NEPTUNE
934 - BUSINESS MAN AND SOLDIER
34Odd John
945 - NEW START
35CHAPTER I JOHN AND THE AUTHOR
956 - MAGGIE'S EARLY LIFE
36CHAPTER II THE FIRST PHASE
967 - UNCERTAIN HAPPINESS
37CHAPTER III ENFANT TERRIBLE
978 - A DISTRESSING INTERLUDE
38CHAPTER IV JOHN AND HIS ELDERS
989 - VICTOR FORGES AHEAD
39CHAPTER V THOUGHT AND ACTION
9910 - CHECK
40CHAPTER VI MANY INVENTIONS
10011 - GLOOM
41CHAPTER VII FINANCIAL VENTURES
10112 - STRANGE TRIUMPH
42CHAPTER VIII SCANDALOUS ADOLESCENCE
102Short Stories
43CHAPTER IX METHODS OF A YOUNG ANTHROPOLOGIST
103The Flames
44CHAPTER X THE WORLD’S PLIGHT
104INTRODUCTORY NOTE
45CHAPTER XI STRANGE ENCOUNTERS
105THE LETTER
46CHAPTER XII JOHN IN THE WILDERNESS
106EPILOGUE
47CHAPTER XIII JOHN SEEKS HIS KIND
107The Seed and the Flower
48CHAPTER XIV ENGINEERING PROBLEMS
108The Road to the Aide Post
49CHAPTER XV JACQUELINE
109A Modern Magician
50CHAPTER XVI ADLAN
110East is West
51CHAPTER XVII NG-GUNKO AND LO
111A World of Sounds
52CHAPTER XVIII THE SKID’S FIRST VOYAGE
112Arms Out of Hand
53CHAPTER XIX THE COLONY IS FOUNDED
113Philosophical Works
54CHAPTER XX THE COLONY IN BEING
114Interplanetary Man?
55CHAPTER XXI THE BEGINNING OF THE END
115A Modern Theory of Ethics (pt. 1)
56CHAPTER XXII THE END
116A Modern Theory of Ethics (pt. 2)
57Star Maker
117A Modern Theory of Ethics (pt. 3)
58PREFACE
118A Modern Theory of Ethics (pt. 4)
59I THE EARTH
119A Modern Theory of Ethics (pt. 5)
60II INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL
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