The Steam Man of the Prairies by Edward S. Ellis was the first U.S. science fiction dime novel[1] and archetype of the Frank Reade series. It is one of the earliest examples of the so-called "Edisonade" genre.[2] Ellis was a prolific 19th-century author best known as a historian and biographer and a source of early heroic frontier tales in the style of James Fenimore Cooper. This novel may be inspired by the steam powered invention of Zadoc Dederick.[3] The original novel was reissued six times from 1868 to 1904.[4] A copy of the first 1868 printing with its cover intact is owned by the Rosenbach Museum and Library, Philadelphia.[5]
_big.jpg) Beadle's American Novel No. 45, August 1868, featuring "The Steam Man of the Prairies" | |
| Author | Edward S. Ellis |
|---|---|
| Working title | The Huge Hunter |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Published | 1868 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Text | The Steam Man of the Prairies at Wikisource |
Summary
editThe first novel starts when Ethan Hopkins and Mickey McSquizzle—a "Yankee" and an "Irishman"—encounter a colossal, steam-powered man in the American prairies. This steam-man was constructed by Johnny Brainerd, a teenaged boy, who uses the steam-man to carry him in a carriage on various adventures.
Modern appearances
editThe Steam Man, a five issue limited series co-written by Mark Alan Miller and Joe R. Lansdale and illustrated by Piotr Kowalski, appeared from Dark Horse Comics beginning in 2015.
The character also appears in a few panels of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Nemo: Heart of Ice comics. He is also referenced in Warren Ellis; Planetary.
Editions
edit- Beadle's American Novel No. 45, August 1868, featuring "The Steam Man of the Prairies" by Edward S. Ellis.
- Beadle's Half Dime Library Vol. 11 No. 271, October 3, 1882, featuring "The Huge Hunter; or, The Steam Man of the Prairies" by Edward S. Ellis.
- Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1156, December 1904, featuring "The Huge Hunter; or, The Steam Man of the Prairies" by Edward S. Ellis.
- Beadle's New Dime Novels No. 591, January 27, 1885, featuring "The Huge Hunter; or, The Steam Man of the Prairies" by Edward S. Ellis.
- Beadle’s Pocket Novels No. 40, January 4, 1876, featuring "The Huge Hunter; or, The Steam Man of the Prairies" by Edward S. Ellis.
- Frank Starr's American Novels No. 14, 1869, featuring "The Huge Hunter; or, The Steam Man of the Prairies" by Edward S. Ellis
- Pocket Library No. 245, September 19, 1888, featuring "Baldy's Boy Partner; or, Young Brainerd's Steam Man" by Edward S. Ellis.
References
edit- ^ Everett Franklin Bleiler, Richard Bleiler. Science-fiction, the Early Years: A Full Description of More Than 3,000 Science-fiction Stories from Earliest Times to the Appearance of the Genre Magazines in 1930 : with Author, Title, and Motif Indexes. Kent State University Press. 1990. P. 220.
- ^ Edisonade. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
- ^ Bleiler, op.cit.
- ^ Tim DeForest. Storytelling in the Pulps, Comics, and Radio: How Technology Changed Popular Fiction in America. McFarland. P. 18.
- ^ Lovece, Joseph (2015). Dime Novel Robots 1868-1899: An Illustrated history and bibliography. ISBN 978-1511578660.
External links
edit
- The Huge Hunter or, the Steam Man of the Prairies at Project Gutenberg
The Steam Man of the Prairies public domain audiobook at LibriVox- STEAM MAN: The World's First fictional Robot Archived 2016-12-04 at the Wayback Machine
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