The Twentieth Century

The Twentieth Century--a unique blend of objets d'art and pulp fiction, science fiction and satire--was initially published in 1882 to great acclaim. Abundantly illustrated by the author, the story presents a panorama of society in the century to come. The story opens in the spring of 1952 as Helene Colobry, niece of mega-banker Raphael Ponto, has just graduated from a private provincial school and needs to find a career. This highly original futuristic fantasy is a cross between "The Jetsons" and the novels of Charles Dickens: it focuses on the daily life of a bourgeois family living in the technology-driven world of tomorrow--where trips to the market are made by aircar and where women argue politics with their husbands via videophone. The book opened new frontiers in speculative fiction with its superb graphics and its evocative text.

ALBERT ROBIDA (1848-1926) was a prolific and celebrated French artist and writer. His books include La Guerre au Vingtieme Siecle (1887, War in the Twentieth Century) and La Vie Electrique (1892, The Electric Life). PHILIPPE WILLEMS is currently Assistant Professor of French at Northern Illinois University-DeKalb. ARTHUR B. EVANS is Professor of French in the Modern Languages Department at DePauw University and editor of Science Fiction Studies.