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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 edition. Excerpt: ... in the morning, Deputy Sheriff Seymour, who had not ventured to return to his house, was found concealed in the corn-bin of a barn near the burying-ground. A crowd instantly collected and dragged the terrified man from his concealment. Some one yelled: "Ride him on a rail," and the suggestion finding an echo in the popular breast, a three-cornered fence rail was thrust between his legs, and lifted on men's shoulders. Astride of this sharp-backed steed, holding on with his hands for dear life, lest he should fall off and break his neck, he was carried through the main streets of the village, followed by a howling crowd, and pelted with apples by the boys, while the windows of the houses along the way were full of laughing women. Having graced the popular holiday by this involuntary exhibition of himself, Seymour was allowed to escape without suffering any further violence, the crowd appearing boisterously jocose rather than embittered in temper. Master Hopkins, a young man who had recently entered Squire Sedgwick's office to study law, was next pounced upon, having indiscreetly ventured on the street, and was treated to a similar free ride, which was protracted until the youth purchased surcease by consenting to wear a sprig of hemlock in his hat. About the middle of the forenoon Squire Woodbridge, Deacon Nash, and Doctor Partridge, with Squire Edwards and several other gentlemen, were sitting in the back room of the store. It was a gloomy council. Woodbridge quaffed his glass of rum in short, quick, unenjoying gulps, and said not a word. The others from time to time dropped a phrase or two expressive of the worst apprehensions as to what the mob might do, and entire discouragement as to the possibility of doing anything to restrain them....

Stimulating, thought-provoking utopian fantasy about a young man who's put into a hypnotic sleep in the late 19th century and awakens in the year 2000 to find a vastly changed world where crime, war and want no longer exist. A provocative study of human society as it is and as it might be.

Equality (1897) is a novel by Edward Bellamy. The sequel to Bellamy's bestselling novel Looking Backward, 2000-1887 (1888) is a product of decades of work on the socialist theories that captivated thousands of Americans and inspired the formation of the People's Party. Although Bellamy died before his vision could be realized, many of the ideas that circulate in Equality-including vegetarianism, feminism, and the abolition of private capital-continue to inform left-wing politics today. "He learned that there were no longer any who were or could be richer or poorer than others, but that all were economic equals. He learned that no one any longer worked for another, either by compulsion or for hire, but that all alike were in the service of the nation working for the common fund, which all equally shared..." After a century in a hypnosis-induced coma, Julian West emerges to a fundamentally different world. Shocked at first, he soon understands that the changes made to the American economy at the tail end of the Gilded Age were not only just, but entirely necessary. In this sequel to Looking Backward, 2000-1887, Bellamy provides more detail on the theories which informed the construction of a revolutionary socialist utopia in the United States. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edward Bellamy's Equality is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Equality (1897) is a novel by Edward Bellamy. The sequel to Bellamy's bestselling novel Looking Backward, 2000-1887 (1888) is a product of decades of work on the socialist theories that captivated thousands of Americans and inspired the formation of the People's Party. Although Bellamy died before his vision could be realized, many of the ideas that circulate in Equality-including vegetarianism, feminism, and the abolition of private capital-continue to inform left-wing politics today. "He learned that there were no longer any who were or could be richer or poorer than others, but that all were economic equals. He learned that no one any longer worked for another, either by compulsion or for hire, but that all alike were in the service of the nation working for the common fund, which all equally shared..." After a century in a hypnosis-induced coma, Julian West emerges to a fundamentally different world. Shocked at first, he soon understands that the changes made to the American economy at the tail end of the Gilded Age were not only just, but entirely necessary. In this sequel to Looking Backward, 2000-1887, Bellamy provides more detail on the theories which informed the construction of a revolutionary socialist utopia in the United States. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edward Bellamy's Equality is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Meet Julian West, who falls asleep in Boston for over a hundred years... then wakes to find himself in a futuristic socialist utopia, where people retire at 45 to live out the rest of their lives in leisure. His guide in this brave new America is Doctor Leete, with whom he discusses the wonders he encounters and the perils he envisions. These social-minded dialogues range from discussing religion, an improved legal system and class equality, to the use of credit cards, overnight deliveries, and the dangers of the stock market. Edward Bellamy wrote "Looking Backward" in 1887, and the descriptions of his futuristic socialist utopia quickly ignited spirited debate, and led to a political movement which came to be known as Nationalism. The book also inspired the creation of new utopian communities, as well as influencing over a century of urban planning, including the Garden city movement in England. This full size collectible edition has been designed for students and scholars, and features a new introduction, as well as a contemporary look at the life and influence of Edward Bellamy. It has been updated, indexed and completely restored for a modern audience. Excerpt from "Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy - A Utopian Novel" (Chapter 26) Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. "It was the sincere belief of even the best of men at that epoch that the only stable elements in human nature, on which a social system could be safely founded, were its worst propensities. They had been taught and believed that greed and self-seeking were all that held mankind together, and that all human associations would fall to pieces if anything were done to blunt the edge of these motives or curb their operation. In a word, they believed - even those who longed to believe otherwise - the exact reverse of what to us seems self-evident; they believed, that is, that the antisocial qualities of men, and not their social qualities, were what furnished the cohesive force of society.... It seems absurd to expect anyone to believe that convictions like these were ever seriously entertained by men...." "With a tear for the dark past, turn we then to the dazzling future, and, veiling our eyes, press forward. The long and weary winter of the race is ended. Its summer has begun. Humanity has burst the chrysalis. The heavens are before it." Critical reviews for Looking Backward ""One of the most remarkable books ever published in America... it is one of the few books ever published that created almost immediately on its appearance a political mass movement."" --Erich Fromm ""While almost prophetic in its 19th century predictions of many modern contrivances, socially, 'Looking Backward' stands in stark contrast to America as it exists in the grip of the early 21st century world economic recession. Yet even more than a century after it was written, Bellamy's masterpiece now burns even brighter as a beacon of hope for class equality and the ideas associated with Christian socialism."" --Shawn Conners, editor of "Men & Women by Robert Browning - Transcendentalism: A Poem in Twelve Books"

Julian West is an aristocrat in 19th century America. He has all that he would ever need, a happy engagement, wealth, and a pleasant place to live. Because of his comfortable place in society, Julian is unsympathetic to the plight of the middle and lower class, and even looks to their protests and strikes with distain and contempt. One day, to calm himself, he decides to be put in a hypnotic sleep by his doctor, in his own underground bunker. This was routine for Julian, but when tragedy in the form of a fire strikes, Julian is presumed dead and left in the bunker. A century later, Julian is found, but wakes to a world he could never predict. With the help of the man that found him, Doctor Leete, and Leete's daughter, Edith, Julian becomes familiar with the 20th century American reality of equality between the sexes, the abolition of poverty, free education, and fair working conditions. Julian must then accept recognize his unempathetic views of the past, now understanding that life is better when people of all genders, classes, and race can be happy. But when Julian finds himself back in the 19th century, he struggles to convince others of his knowledge, and starts to wonder if the ideal 20th century was all a dream. Looking Backward was one of the most commercially successful novels of the 19th century, and upon its publication, inspired mass political movement. With the portrayal of the 20th century, Bellamy advocates for equality, and rejects war and capitalism. By depicting a happy working environment, where citizens had the freedom to choose their occupations, receive fair wages, and are able to retire at a reasonable time, Bellamy raises awareness for the working class. Looking Backward has since inspired the ideology of socialism, and proposes solutions to problems that America still struggles with today. This edition of Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy features a striking new cover design and is reprinted in a readable font. With these changes, the compelling plot and insight of Looking Backward is accessible and worthy of conversation.

'No person can be blamed for refusing to read another word of what promises to be a mere imposition upon his credulity.' Julian West, a feckless aristocrat living in fin-de-siecle Boston, plunges into a deep hypnotic sleep in 1887 and wakes up in the year 2000. America has been turned into a rigorously centralized democratic society in which everything is controlled by a humane and efficient state. In little more than a hundred years the horrors of nineteenth-century capitalism have been all but forgotten. The squalid slums of Boston have been replaced by broad streets, and technological inventions have transformed people's everyday lives. Exiled from the past, West excitedly settles into the ideal society of the future, while still fearing that he has dreamt up his experiences as a time traveller. Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward (1888) is a thunderous indictment of industrial capitalism and a resplendent vision of life in a socialist utopia. Matthew Beaumont's lively edition explores the political and psychological peculiarities of this celebrated utopian fiction. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.