Last and First Men, abridged edition

Olaf Stapledon was a philosopher and science fiction writer. He published over twenty books throughout his career and is regarded as one of the most influential science fiction writers of the early twentieth century.Matthew De Abaitua is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Essex. His sf novel The Red Men was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. His sf novels IF THEN and The Destructives complete the loose trilogy. His book Self & I: A Memoir of Literary Ambition was shortlisted for the New Angle Prize for Literature.

ENDORSEMENTS“Last and First Men is a seminal work of cosmological sf a philosophical examination of the future evolution of humanity, inspirational to Arthur C. Clarke and so many of Stapledon’s successors. Great to see it included in the MIT Press’s Radium Age series.”—Charles Stross, Hugo and Locus award–winning author“No book before or since has had such an impact on my imagination; the Stapledonian vistas of millions and hundreds of millions of years, the rise and fall of civilizations and entire races of men, changed my whole outlook on the universe and has influenced much of my writing ever since.”—Arthur C. Clarke, New York Times (March 6, 1983)

• Introduction: An Essay in Myth Creation, By Matthew De AbaituaIntroduction, By One of the Last MenTHE CHRONICLEPART I. THE FALL OF THE FIRST MENChapter One The First Dark AgeChapter Two The Rise of PatagoniaChapter Three The Cult of YouthChapter Four The CatastrophePART II. TRANSITIONChapter One The First Men at BayChapter Two The Second Dark AgePART III. THE RISE OF THE SECOND MENChapter One The Appearance of a New SpeciesChapter Two The Intercourse of Three SpeciesChapter Three The Zenith of the Second MenPART IV. THE MARTIANSChapter One The First Martian InvasionChapter Two Life on MarsChapter Three The Martian MindChapter Four Delusions of the MartiansPART V. EARTH AND MARSChapter One The Second Men at BayChapter Two The Ruin of Two WorldsChapter Three The Third Dark AgePART VI. THE THIRD MEN IN THE WILDERNESSChapter One The Third Human SpeciesChapter Two Digressions of the Third MenChapter Three The Vital ArtChapter Four Conflicting PoliciesPART VII. MAN REMAKES HIMSELFChapter One The First of the Great BrainsChapter Two The Tragedy of the Fourth MenChapter Three The Fifth MenChapter Four The Culture of the Fifth MenPART VIII. THE LAST TERRESTRIALSChapter One The Cult of EvanescenceChapter Two Exploration of TimeChapter Three Voyaging in SpaceChapter Four Preparing a New World