Star Maker

by Olaf Stapledon

Overview

Star Maker is a science fiction novel by Olaf Stapledon, published in 1937. Star Maker tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and creator. A pervading theme is that of progressive unity within and between different civilizations. Some of the elements and themes in Star Maker prefigure later fiction concerning genetic engineering and alien life forms. Arthur C. Clarke considered Star Maker to be one of the finest works of science fiction ever written.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781604443875
Publisher:	Indoeuropeanpublishing.com
Publication date:	01/23/2011
Pages:	196
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.45(d)

About the Author

OLAF STAPLEDON (1886-1950) served as Lecturer in Psychology and Philosophy at Liverpool University. PATRICK A. MCCARTHY is Professor of English at the University of Miami, author of Olaf Stapledon (1982) and editor of The Legacy of Olaf Stapledon (1989). FREEMAN J. DYSON is Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, NJ. He conceived the Dyson Sphere, has designed nuclear reactors and writes on the relationship of science to literature and theology.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	xi
	Acknowledgments	xvii
	Introduction	xix
	Preface	3
I	The Earth	7
1.	The Starting Point	7
2.	Earth Among the Stars	11
II	Interstellar Travel	16
III	The Other Earth	27
1.	On the Other Earth	27
2.	A Busy World	32
3.	Prospects of the Race	47
IV	I Travel Again	60
V	Worlds Innumerable	70
1.	The Diversity of Worlds	70
2.	Strange Mankinds	77
3.	Nautiloids	87
VI	Intimations of the Star Maker	94
VII	More Worlds	100
1.	A Symbiotic Race	100
2.	Composite Beings	111
3.	Plant Men and Others	120
VIII	Concerning the Explorers	131
IX	The Community of Worlds	137
1.	Busy Utopias	137
2.	Intermundane Strife	146
3.	A Crisis in Galactic History	158
4.	Triumph in a Sub-Galaxy	161
5.	The Tragedy of the Perverts	168
6.	A Galactic Utopia	172
X	A Vision of the Galaxy	177
XI	Stars and Vermin	187
1.	The Many Galaxies	187
2.	Disaster in Our Galaxy	189
3.	Stars	194
4.	Galactic Symbiosis	204
XII	A Stunted Cosmical Spirit	210
XIII	The Beginning and the End	213
1.	Back to the Nebulae	213
2.	The Supreme Moment Nears	218
3.	The Supreme Moment and After	223
XIV	The Myth of Creation	232
XV	The Maker and His Works	236
1.	Immature Creating	236
2.	Mature Creating	246
3.	The Ultimate Cosmos and the Eternal Spirit	253
XVI	Epilogue: Back to Earth	258
	A Note on Magnitude	265
	Time Scales	267
	Glossary	271
	Notes	281
	Bibliography	307

What People are Saying About This

Robert Shelton

“Star Maker is a masterpiece in the field of science fiction, a bursting to the brim compendium of ideas for later science fiction writers.”

From the Publisher

"A buried treasure of 20th century literature reemerges in this splendid and practical edition. McCarthy's revealing introduction and notes display the genius of Star Maker to a new century."—Robert Crossley, author of Olaf Stapledon: Speaking for the Future

"A buried treasure of 20th century literature reemerges in this splendid and practical edition. McCarthy's revealing introduction and notes display the genius of Star Maker to a new century."—Robert Crossley, author of Olaf Stapledon: Speaking for the Future

"Star Maker is a masterpiece in the field of science fiction, a bursting to the brim compendium of ideas for later science fiction writers."—Robert Shelton, Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Michigan State University

Robert Crossley

"A buried treasure of 20th century literature reemerges in this splendid and practical edition. McCarthy's revealing introduction and notes display the genius of Star Maker to a new century."
— Robert Crossley, author of Olaf Stapledon: Speaking for the Future

Editorial Reviews

The Wesleyan Early Classics of Science Fiction presents the first scholarly edition of Olaf Stapledon's 1937 masterpiece, Star Maker, edited by Patrick A. McCarthy. Physicist Freeman Dyson provides a foreword. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

"A buried treasure of 20th century literature reemerges in this splendid and practical edition. McCarthy's revealing introduction and notes display the genius of Star Maker to a new century."—Robert Crossley, author of Olaf Stapledon: Speaking for the Future

"A buried treasure of 20th century literature reemerges in this splendid and practical edition. McCarthy's revealing introduction and notes display the genius of Star Maker to a new century."—Robert Crossley, author of Olaf Stapledon: Speaking for the Future

"Star Maker is a masterpiece in the field of science fiction, a bursting to the brim compendium of ideas for later science fiction writers."—Robert Shelton, Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Michigan State University

From the Publisher