Vintage Science Fiction from Australian Newspapers

Vintage Science Fiction from Australian Newspapers 1832-1955 (International)

Item Set

Items

• When the World Reeled
  World domination story but mainly a romance with electricity
• When the Sleeper Awakes
  A man falls asleep in the 19th century and awakes years later to learn about the dramatic changes in the world but also to fight in an 'aeropile' and die in another invasion of London. A dystopian ending to a future war story.
• They Found Atlantis
  Escape from the lost city of Atlantis with Atlanteans
• The Year of Miracle. A Tale of the Year One Thousand Nine Hundred
  A doctor finds a cure to the plague then launches the plague on London to sell his cure. It gets out of control and all of England is affected with many dying. Ends with a bright new future with a lot less people!
• The Year 22 / The Earth Abides / The Last American
  A pestilence returns humanity to the dark ages and after many generations a few try to get humanity back on track again. A novel in three parts.
• The World-Masters
  Inventor blackmails world controling all electric current. Creates a death ray (like a laser) that turns people to skeletons on contact.
• The World Peril of 1910
  A complex hybrid airship and submarine is offered to the Kaiser potentially altering political power around the world.
• The World in Peril: A Tale of the Air and the Sea
  Advanced air and sea tech. Protagonists travel the world and have adventures. Editorials: Remarkable production. Invented a craft which is at once a submarine or a flying ship. Sensational events.
• The Woes of Mr Wobbley Comedian; Or, The Dangers of Modern Science
  An invention that etherialises a person that can only be seen by his brother and Mr Wobbley. Amusing scenes of Wobbley dealing with the ghost of Penthrip and police accusing him of murdering the man until he suddenly returns from etheralisation at the end.
• The Wickham Aeroplane
  An earlier more advanced design for the aeroplane was first demonstrated by Wickham however it was stolen by a Russian spy with him in it with the plan to land it on a steam boat built with a landing pad. Wickham was able to smash the aeroplane into the ocean so that it did not fall into the wrong hands. Predicting aircraft carriers by 8 years.
• The War of the Worlds
  Reprinted from 1897. Martians invade Earth killing with heat rays but fall victim to Earth's bacteria and have to leave.
• The Vibration Disintegrator
  Inventor demonstrates a device that cancels sound waves by disintegrating them predicting sound cancellation technology by 20 years.
• The U-Boat Chaser
  Mainly a war story but with hydrophones and advanced searchlights and a superfast submarine. Need more chapters to confirm extent of science fiction tropes.
• The Terror by Night
  Village attacked by strange creatures and police kill them. Advisor to the detective reads dead scientist's notes at the end. Scientist worked on evolving a pig then a mad human but both experiments reverted from higher intelligence back to pre evolved forms. Scientist is killed. Possibly influenced by H. G. Well's Island of Dr. Moreau.
• The Terrible Submarine
  Advanced submarine encounters a replica from stolen plans and it's a fight to the death
• The Terrible Eye
  Invention of a time window seeing into the past and present. Originally published in The Bayonne Times (New Jersey) in the USA in 1943
• The Strange Adventures of Bailey Catford. Scientist and Inventor.
  Catford is accused of a crime he didn't commit so escapes uses his huge submarine with working underwater exit door having solved pressure and air problems captures the real murderer and gets him to confess in his patented 'air tight entrance'. Reprinted several times including in 1931 as The Man with the Submarine.
• The Stolen Submarine
  An advanced submarine battleship with large rooms (including a saloon) and a strong 'ray' light is used in war exercises
• The Stolen Phoenix
  Inventor creates an advanced submarine called The Phoenix which is then 'stolen' from him in a scam. He creates another called The Dolphin.
• The Steel Dutchman
  Basic adventure but with a boat that is incredibly fast runs on transmitted crystalline energy and can fire torpedoes. Science of tiny wavelengths. Missing lots of chapters. Other chapters on Trove suggests its a fast boat against another fast boat and a strong dutchman is the enemy. It gets more SF near the end with pulling about the power transmission system. Fliegende Schaum Bainbridge Thermionic Controlling Systems remote control motors crystal driven power transmission across space. A similar science fiction engine was used in Doctor Who Terror of the Zygons in 1975.
• The Sky Block
  Weather Wreckers hiding in tunnels. Spy story with an invention that disrupts the weather
• The Secret of Castle Storm
  Scientist keeps his deceased wife in suspended animation in a crystal freezer and works in a laboratory searching for the elixir of life. While there is not much science it is interesting in that this story seems almost identical to the story of Dr Freeze in the movie Batman and Robin which is based on an old comic book from 1959. Also as the scientist and his frozen wife are destroyed by a great storm and the ending is that only through God will we receive eternal life this story reflects Adelaide Primrose's ending in The Professor's Experiment in 1906.
• The Second Armada A Chapter of Future History
  Set 3 years later so not much has changed. A battle is fought and one. SF only as it's in the future. A two column story. Queensland along with the British were fighting the Frontier Wars so this could be a recruitment article.
• The Sapphire Riddle
  A scientist finds a way to reconstitute cheap gems into more expensive gems and sells them
• The Rocket: A Forecast
  British Civil War approximately 10 years after 1915 with workers revolting against the royalists. Not quite French revolution but definitely alternate future. Slow ponderous lots of description barely anything happening so many chapters!
• The Right to Love
  Predominantly a romance yet set in a utopian dystopian eugenics-focused country with everything anyone can want excerpt for forced marriages based on beauty and brains.
• The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes
  Davidson's eyes are damaged in an electrical flash resituating their vision 8000 yards away. His body is in his house but his vision is on a beach with penguins. The story is mostly about his experience with a brief possible explanation at the end after he recovers that space has been folded over like folding a piece of paper - interesting that this is now the common example used for wormholes
• The Red Kite
  Experimental giant airship aeroplane for four traveling from England to Germany during the war. Can fly all night at 150m/h go into the stratosphere and stay motionless while it dropped bombs. (Fastest plane at the time was 135m/h) Also features almost silent machine guns. Story is mainly a war romance. The interesting thing about this story is that as it hasn’t been long since aeroplanes were invented. This story predicts the naming of parts of them by using ‘prow’ for the front of the airplane taking that from boats. This might be a precursor to later space opera stories where space ships are using boat terminology rather than plane terminology.
• The Pillar of Light
  Inventor creates the 'marine auriscope' and tests it on three boats. Like sonar but looking like a compass it can detect ships far away. Review and synopsis at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/14625722
• The Parrot-Faced Man
  Brain in a jar that is still conscious and speaking.
• The New Utopia
  A reply to Bellamy's Utopic story. Satirical meta textual extremes of equality with everyone dying the hair black.
• The Muted Quest
  quote The plans of the engine while revolutionary are worthless without the formulae of the metal used in construction. Japanese try to move their stolen engine while others have committed to other plans. SF spy story.
• The Meteoric Benson A Romance of Actuality
  First fiction helicopter developed by Benson. Plans stolen and rival copy built. Various skermishes then an agreement to end all war.
• The Message
  Novel came first. Dystopia to Utopia. Germany invades Britain and is overthrown. Long and ponderous and realist.
• The Man Who Tilted the Earth
  Entire 25000 word story in one issue. Atomic physics fight to prevent the militarisation of explosive Z with the help of scientist Dr. Gloria Surrocks. But Dr Zachavitch has other plans and has created a disintegration ray that breaks atoms into energy the force being millions times greater than any known explosive. He tests it in the arctic and causes sudden mountains tidal waves and a shift of the Earth's axis pushing icebergs to the equator.
• The Man Who Ended War
  Features a disintegration ray and minor science descriptions in Chapter xx.
• The Man They Couldn't Arrest
  Inventor creates machine that can listen to almost any conversation on a telephone. Is attacked and defends with electricity shocking the criminal temporarily blind. The criminal dies trying to escape and the inventor plays a film of what happens on a wall to a detective proving his innocence.
• The Little Florist
  A florist creates a complex central heating system for his orchard saving his crop and offers to help the woman next door with her field as the coldest night in years rolls in to destroy crops in the area. To start a romance the only way an inventor knows!
• The Kid From Mars
  Scientists and doctors investigate a kid who claims to be from Mars then a group of humans visit mars and encounter 7 foot tall Martians. Probably written for children. Originally published in 1948 and Disney now owns the rights.
• The Kaisers Secret
  Germans invent battery containing wireless operated poison loaded plane to attack the UK but are thwarted by a British seaplane. A long drawn out war saga with a few inventions described but not in great detail.
• The Jewel-Maker
  Inventor converts diamond dust into various jewels. Complex description of the device and process in X but mainly a romance and crime story.
• The Invisible Man
  While discussing rational physical principles of optics and plausibility of changing matter to not be reflective or refractive a scientist finds a way to make most of his body invisible although an unexplained ethereal energy is used to complete the process on his cat and then himself.
• The Invasion of 1910
  Bleiler says highly researched two writers. Complex and detailed German invasion of England. Future War with only slightly advanced weapons.
• The Inner House (Book 1888)
  Elixir helped create an eternal college city of immortal physicians and describes those that rejected this and ran way from the Great Discovery
• The Hopkins Manuscript (summary by Edgar Holt)
  The narrator's summary describes the meeting of the moon and the Earth ending much of civilisation but with limited scientific fact.
• The Hertzian Voice. A Story of Strange Adventure and Romance of Wireless Telegraphy (aka Phantom Wires)
  Environment of inventions. Inventor creates a camera that can transmit pictures wirelessly but can't get funding. Ends up dealing with broken wires on a ship and discussing wire-less communication. More of a spy drama surrounded by inventions but the epilogue has him working on simplifying his selenium cell so that portable picture transmission cameras can be built. (Selenium solar batteries were first built in 1883.)
• The Greed of Conquest
  Development of a raygun by a scientist with the invention used by others
• The Great Murchison Mystery
  Dr. Verity's experiments enables telepathic contact with Martians. There is also a death ray.
• The Great American Telescope
  Advanced telescope sees a technofuturistic civilisation on Mars
• The Ghost Counts Ten
  Features a heat ray that melts anything (death ray)
• The Final War. A Story of the Great Betrayal
  The electric rifle actually a laser gun as the scientific explanation points to that was used succesfully in a future war.
• The Esramians
  Newspaper printed excerpts from a novel - not complete. Martians following a Christian style philosophy visit Earth to impart their wisdom.
• The Doom of the Zeppelin
  Advanced Zeppelins Attack London. Short story.
• The Diamond Lens
  Reprinted from 1858. "The Ten Greatest Tales of Awe and Mystery Ever Written No. 7. A scientist working in his laboratory chances upon a microscopic humanoid and falls in love with her staring through the microscope for hours but is devastated when the droplet of water dries up and she shrivels and dies. The male gaze is strong with this one. Originally published in the Atlantic Monthly.
• The Day! Or the Passing of the Throne (aka just 'The Passing of the Throne')
  Advanced zeppelins attacking London.
• The Dawn of All
  Catholics get an advanced airship to spread the Word
• The Clutching Hand. Scientific Detective Tales.
  Terribly written melodramatic spy drama made up of 7 stories (and made into a movie) full of inventions and a hero repeatedly rescuing a damsel from villains with no real reason for their continued attacks besides that they're evil. They even have a death ray which the inventor hero is able to resist.
• The Cloud King or Up in the Air and Down in the Sea
  An aeoronaut travels around the world in an advanced balloon describing overcoming science and engineering problems and meeting advanced and unusual civilisations
• The Bridge. A Mystery of War
  An invention that destroys bridges and prevents new ones. Original published in the Chambers Journal in 1909-1910 pages 451-455 remote control torpedo that can be directed using a map covered in wires. Published in London.
• The Branded Spy
  Spy drama with futuristic submarines facing off between Japanese and Americans and British interceding to prevent a war. Research indicates that submarine I-14 described in the text by the author in 1936 was not built until 1943. Also there is a discussion about the Japanese threat to Pearl Harbour. This aborted future war is more spy story than science fiction like most near contemporary future war stories yet its prescience makes it a worthy addition to the list.
• The Boy Inventor. The Amazing Adventures of Don Delmont The Boy inventor, and his pal, "Dandy" Stevens.
  Invents a stratosphere plane. A bullet-proof electric aero-car with an oxyacetylene headlight and a gyroscopically controlled car and many other inventions.
• The Black Box / The Pocket Wireless / The Tenement House Mystery
  Based on the silent movie. A crime story involving a professor and his pocket wireless which can communicate by text with others who have it. A character keeps being given a black box with riddles clues and advice in the investigation of a murder robbery.
• The Awful Cataclysm in Ireland
  An invention that destroys half of ireland drilling miles deep. A similar story appeared as Doctor Who Inferno in 1970 reinforcing the science fiction theme of the vintage concept.
• The Antarcticans
  Future inventions and a character wanting to get the power of the lost civilisation (Different to A. J. Boyd's Antarcticans.)
• Stratosphere Express
  Advanced aeroplane discussions of rockets and meteorites dealing with polar environment and engineering
• Stella Figelius: A Tale of Three Destinies
  Inventor talks about contacting the stars and creating an aeroplane
• Space
  Children attempt to escape in their spaceship from a death ray fired from Mars.
• Sky-High Terror
  Mendip II new aeroplane with gravity plates and a particular kind of spirit fuel is repeatedly sabotaged and stolen while a romance takes place and police investigate. Just an advanced invention macguffin. More of a crime story than SF.
• Ruled by Radio or The Man Who Stole the Ether
  Attempt to locate the Z-Ray. Set in future 1930. Some science. Some mentions of current tech. Murders of people who want the Z-Ray. quote: beastly scientific gadgets. Story focuses on a scientist and his secret and how society wants to wrest something like that from him and his constant fight to keep it. Aeroplanes fitted with it have force fields quote set the electric current to magentise the outer zone The Ray of Death. The Ray machine. Creates an electrical zone and shoots death rays. The silent projected beam is turned by the scientist on himself and he is fried at the end. Published in 1925 as a novel.
• Reminiscences of a Volunteer A. D. 1925. The Battle of Dorking
  A war set in 1921 ending the British empire.
• Prof. Vehr's Electrical Experiment
  A professor creates a glass bell infused with an extrostatic liquid that not only induces the ability of a user to conduct remote viewing but once the location is confirmed dissolves their atoms and reconstitutes them at the location with the ability to not only bring them back but also another with them. A young lover attempts to retrieve his love from another city but on returning the machine explodes and the narrator has not been able to find them since. A more etheric form of teleportation.
• On Satan's Mount
  Looks socialist domestic political. No set future year but seems like at least 50 years. Auto-cars. Aerophone. Mammoth Liner. Electrothermic power has replaced coal. A new electric rifle accidentally erases the president and his contingent but starts with a horse race congress elections and socialism discussions and features typewriters in a newsagency. Still typewriters didn't disappear until the 1980s so pretty good!
• Nilda. A Tale of the German Invasion of 1912
  1914 war predicted in 1912. Some inventions. 28 chapters that abruptly end
• Night Wings
  This is the age of the aeronauts. Advanced hydrogen balloon airship for two with electric controls yet away from that are horses old equipment telegrams and communication by light flashes emphasizing the advancement of the balloon. Mostly a war story with the balloon not the centre of attention. An alien (foreign) torpedo shaped biplane visits a British beach communicating with a spy. After shooting it down Great Britain invents smaller balloon ships to fight them. Like in modern science fiction the airships are described with maritime vocabulary.
• Mantrap Manor
  Revenge is taken on a protagonist using electricity as a barrier and traps
• Man's Mortality. The Great Novel
  Politics. War on China and Italy. Set in 1987. Futuristic airships corporation with I.A. planes able to travel at 500 miles an hour. A detailed extrapolation of the future filled with inventions from a capitalist perspective.
• Love and Learning. A Story with a Moral Concealed on the Premises
  A town built on science and utilitarianism conflicts with a romance between a poet and a scientist. The poet is given drugs and he no longer pursues poetry only science.
• Looking Backward 2000-1887
  One of the most influential Utopias in the world spawning clubs and hundreds of similar and rejectionary stories and fan sequels. Lots of inventions.
• Into Space
  Inventor builds a rocket that takes him into space but dies there.
• In the Hour of Defeat
  Holland and Russia declare war on England. Alternate reality near future with huge groups of fighting ships.
• Hullenholme's Death Trap
  Engineer creates submarine to kill the man who took the one he loved. The man escapes the submarine. Short psychological thriller with descriptions of how a submarine works.
• Dr Silex / The Princess Thora
  Lost civilization of the Asturnians 5000 square miles country of Asturnia. Advanced tech. Pillars of light. Artificial daylight. 5 chapters to get the North Pole adventure started and they arrive around XV. Also describes a nearby island with a dwarf-like race. Strange and Powerful weapons and no risk or subjection to an alien fate. Returning a princess to her country kept warm by a nearby volano. Story ends up in sword fights and a castle so not much in advanced tech for most of it. Detailed description in Bleiler’s book.
• Dr Delmores Secret
  A doctor is given the elixir of life and describes the person who gave it to him and his increasingly youthful appearance.
• Doom of Our Planet
  A scientist creates an 'antigelesis' weapon that creates earthquakes and destroys mountains. Over 50 chapters of discussion and chasing someone who stole the manuscript trying to prevent more deaths.
• Barbicane and Co., or The Purchase of the Pole
  Buying the North Pole to set up a technofuturistic society.
• An American Emperor
  A rich entrepreneur decides to become king of France to win his hearts desire and among other things creates a business that will revitalise the Sahara restoring it to the water-abundant fertile land it used to be. While science light the narrative features an alternate reality of an American leading France and the invention of a plan to fill the Sahara sands with water.
• An Aeroplane Adventure
  An aeroplane stops for repairs. The motor uses a type of cordite and other parts to operate faster - though the story suggests the aeroplane itself is the invention. Story is mainly about saving the King.
• An Advance Sheet
  Discussion of parallel worlds and one person has glimpsed one giving details of his encounter with the alternate future
• According to Plato
  Inventions but limited bearing on the story's electricity theme. Further close reading is needing.
• A Weaponless World
  Philosophical and theoretical discussions about the circular nature of time and suggestions of de ja vu are remembering the previous repeated cycle. Ends with character being struck by an aerolite (meteorite)
• A Voyage to the Sun*
  A space ship journeys to the sun and the narrative gives scientific explanations. A short simple story of 2 chapters.
• A Very Modern Elopement
  Discusses electric and gas cars and the invention of a car that has both (hybrid car) (Porsche created the first hybrid in 1901)
• A North Pole Romance
  In the 28th century a triple x-ray long-distance telescope enables a woman to see through the Earth from England to Boston and see her cheating lover with another woman.
• A New Palingenesis
  Describes the transfer of the soul's electrical energy to a receptacle and back again with pages of scientific explanations.
• A Man Who Grew Young Again
  Blood transfusions to save a man from a gunshot cause him to become 30 years younger and no one believes him
• A Man from Mars
  A god-like man has crashed in a coffin-like metal pod during a tropical storm and the narrator rescues him. But he is bored by everyone's focus on relationships and kills himself. Short story.
• A Dash to the Pole
  Advanced airship (based on 1852 Hydrogen balloon airship by Henri Giffard) goes to the North Pole and crashes. Considering no company had begun building successful airships until 1897 this is science fiction with science described and an adventure around the device.