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)
2Novels
3Last and First Men
4Preface
5Introduction By One of the Last Men
Mostrar todos os capítulosVer menos
6THE CHRONICLE
7II Europe’s Downfall
8III America and China
9IV An Americanized Planet
10V The Fall of the First Men
11VI Transition
12VII The Rise of the Second Men
13VIII The Martians
14IX Earth and Mars
15X The Third Men in the Wilderness
16XI Man Remakes Himself
17XII The Last Terrestrials
18XIII Humanity on Venus
19XIV Neptune
20XV The Last Men
21XVI The Last of Man
22Last Men in London
23PREFACE
24INTRODUCTION THE FUTURE’S CONCERN WITH THE PAST
25CHAPTER I THE WORLD OF THE LAST MEN
26CHAPTER II EXPLORING THE PAST
27CHAPTER III THE CHILD PAUL
28CHAPTER IV PAUL COMES OF AGE
29CHAPTER V ORIGINS OF THE EUROPEAN WAR
30CHAPTER VI THE WAR
31CHAPTER VII AFTER THE WAR
32CHAPTER VIII THE MODERN WORLD
33CHAPTER IX ON EARTH AND ON NEPTUNE
34Odd John
35CHAPTER I JOHN AND THE AUTHOR
36CHAPTER II THE FIRST PHASE
37CHAPTER III ENFANT TERRIBLE
38CHAPTER IV JOHN AND HIS ELDERS
39CHAPTER V THOUGHT AND ACTION
40CHAPTER VI MANY INVENTIONS
41CHAPTER VII FINANCIAL VENTURES
42CHAPTER VIII SCANDALOUS ADOLESCENCE
43CHAPTER IX METHODS OF A YOUNG ANTHROPOLOGIST
44CHAPTER X THE WORLD’S PLIGHT
45CHAPTER XI STRANGE ENCOUNTERS
46CHAPTER XII JOHN IN THE WILDERNESS
47CHAPTER XIII JOHN SEEKS HIS KIND
48CHAPTER XIV ENGINEERING PROBLEMS
49CHAPTER XV JACQUELINE
50CHAPTER XVI ADLAN
The Collected Works of Olaf Stapledon (Annotated)Olaf Stapledon90h 53m$2 · $0.00
The Philosophical & Science-Fiction Works of Olaf Stapledon (Annotated)Olaf Stapledon90h 54m$2 · $0.00
The Philosophy & Sci-Fi Works of Olaf Stapledon (Annotated)Olaf Stapledon90h 54m$2 · $0.00
Sirius (Annotated)Olaf Stapledon9h 11m4.4 (13)$2 · $0.00
Star Maker (Annotated)Olaf Stapledon11h 10m4.3 (218)$2 · $0.00
Through the Depths of the Universe: Complete Sci-Fi Works of Olaf Stapledon (Annotated)Olaf Stapledon79h 20m$3 · $0.00
Odd John (Annotated)Olaf Stapledon9h 32m4.2 (26)$2 · $0.00
Olaf Stapledon: Complete Novels (Annotated)Olaf Stapledon67h 43m$2 · $0.00
Star MakerOlaf Stapledon10h 53m4.0 (13.3K)$1 · $0.00
Sirius (Sci-Fi Novel)Olaf Stapledon9h4.0 (2.5K)$2 · $0.00
SiriusOlaf Stapledon9h4.0 (3K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete NovelsOlaf Stapledon68h 29m$1 · $0.00
Death into LifeOlaf Stapledon5h 38m3.4 (50)$2 · $0.00
Darkness and the LightOlaf Stapledon6h 50m3.4 (91)$2 · $0.00
The Essential Works of Olaf StapledonOlaf Stapledon90h 40m4.4 (17)$1 · $0.00
The Complete NovelsOlaf Stapledon67h 44m4.4 (73)$2.99 · $0.00
Sirius (Sci-Fi Novel)Olaf Stapledon8h 28m4.0 (3K)$1.99 · $0.00
Olaf Stapledon: Complete NovelsOlaf Stapledon68h 30m4.6 (49)$1 · $0.00
Star Maker (Summarized Edition)Olaf Stapledon4h 2m$2
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Toshikazu Kawaguchi Book SetToshikazu Kawaguchi18h 55m4.5 (1.4K)$40 · $0.00
PRIMAL 2055 - EscapeJack Silkstone6h 47m4.4 (232)Free
Philip K. Dick: SF Boxed SetPhilip K. Dick29h 38m4.5 (608)$1 · $0.00
Magician's EndRaymond E. Feist17h 5m4.4 (21.7K)$40 · $0.00
Good OmensNeil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett12h 14m4.4 (1M)$29 · $0.00
The Emperor's FistJay Allan8h 37m4.5 (272)$26 · $0.00
The DispossessedUrsula K. Le Guin13h 26m4.4 (189.3K)$33 · $0.00
1984George Orwell11h 31m4.3 (6.2M)$1.20 · $0.00
Lost ValleyWalt Browning7h 47m4.3 (5.4K)$20 · $0.00
AgincourtBernard Cornwell16h 18m4.3 (41.4K)$40 · $0.00
Frankenstein (The Uncensored 1818 Edition) (Annotated)Mary Shelley9h 25m4.3 (1.7M)$3 · $0.00
The World Wasn't Ready for YouJustin C. Key11h 34m4.4 (812)$5 · $0.00
Godzilla vs. KongGreg Keyes10h 32m4.3 (1.4K)$20 · $0.00
Alas, Babylon (Annotated)Pat Frank12h 32m4.3 (11.6K)$2 · $0.00
Day of WrathWilliam R. Forstchen4h 36m4.3 (1.9K)$14 · $0.00
AbandonedJules Verne7h 42m4.3 (1.1K)$2.30 · $0.00
StargodsIan Douglas12h 15m4.4 (732)$5 · $0.00
Two Plays for VoicesNeil Gaiman2h 4m4.3 (1K)$16 · $0.00
March UpcountryDavid Weber, John Ringo17h 17m4.2 (17.1K)$28 · $0.00
Freedom’s FireBobby Adair7h 50m4.3 (7.6K)$20 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
These Precious DaysAnn Patchett11h 14m4.5 (45.2K)$29 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 50m4.6 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust16h 8m4.5 (10.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
Lessons in TruthH. Emilie3h 50m4.6 (1.4K)$4.70 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery11h 1m4.5 (1.2M)$2.30 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
The North American IndianEdward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge6h4.5 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored 13 Chapter Version + The Revised 20 Chapter Version (Annotated)Oscar Wilde16h 12m4.5 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Grimoire Of The Everyday WitchIsadora Lys / Virginia Santos5h 35m4.5 (3.9K)$9 · $0.00
Winnie-the-PoohAlan Alexander Milne2h 52m4.5 (401.1K)$3 · $0.00
Sitting PrettyRebekah Taussig7h 33m4.5 (18.9K)$26 · $0.00
The Poetic Edda & The Prose EddaSnorri Sturluson, Saemund Sigfusson9h 34m4.5 (4K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Satires & Essays of Mark Twain (Annotated)Mark Twain23h 21m4.5 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesLucy Maud Montgomery11h 10m4.4 (1.3M)$8 · $0.00
The Posthumous Memoirs Of Brás CubasMachado De Assis7h 39m4.4 (120.4K)$5 · $0.00
You may also like
The War In The AirH. G. Wells10h 54m3.7 (2.2K)$0.60 · $0.00
The World Set FreeH. G. Wells7h 13m3.6 (3.1K)$2.30 · $0.00
The War in the AirH. G. Wells10h 5m3.6 (6.5K)Free
The World Set FreeH. G.7h 19m3.6 (2.4K)$3.50 · $0.00
The Red LineWalt Gragg17h 32m3.9 (2K)$23
The End is Always NearDan Carlin7h 55m4.1 (17.5K)$26 · $0.00
The War in the AirH. G. Wells11h 19m3.7 (2.2K)$25
The Lazarus EffectFrank Herbert, Bill Ransom15h 55m3.9 (5.8K)$23
The Peloponnesian WarDonald Kagan19h 2m4.4 (13.5K)$28
Plan of AttackDale Brown14h 10m4.0 (3.3K)$33 · $0.00
The Shape of Things To Come - A Science Fiction Classic (Complete Edition) (Annotated)H. G. Wells19h 56m3.5 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
The War in the AirH. G.10h 56m3.7 (2.7K)$3.50 · $0.00
My Refuge and FortressMillie Copper12h 36m4.6 (266)$9.99 · $0.00
The Shape of Things To Come - A Science Fiction ClassicH. G. Wells19h 44m3.7 (3.3K)$2.99 · $0.00
Expanded Universe, Vol. 1Robert A. Heinlein9h 3m4.2 (906)$20
The Last Man (Annotated)Mary Shelley21h 5m3.6 (10.5K)$2 · $0.00
Underground ManGabriel Tarde2h 50m3.1 (157)$9 · $0.00
The Essential Works of Olaf StapledonOlaf Stapledon90h 40m4.4 (17)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Sci-Fi Works of Olaf Stapledon (Annotated)Olaf Stapledon78h 43m$1.99 · $0.00
Terran TomorrowNancy Kress10h 58m3.8 (971)$23