'Voyage to the Moon' and Other Imaginary Lunar Flights of Fancy in Antebellum America

Paul C. Gutjahr is Ruth Halls Professor of English at Indiana University, US.

• List of Figures; Introduction; Acknowledgements; PART I: VOYAGE TO THE MOON: With Some Account of the Manners and Customs, Science and Philosophy, of the People of Morosofia, and other Lunarians (1827) —Joseph Atterley (George Tucker); CHAPTER I: Atterley’s birth and education—He makes a voyage—Founders off the Burman coast—Adventures in that Empire—Meets with a learned Brahmin from Benares; CHAPTER II: The Brahmin’s illness—He reveals an important secret to Atterley—Curious information concerning the Moon—The Glonglims—They plan a voyage to the Moon; CHAPTER III: The Brahmin and Atterley prepare for their voyage— Description of their travelling machine—Incidents of the voyage—The appearance of the earth; Africa; Greece—The Brahmin’s speculations on the different races of men—National character; CHAPTER IV: Continuation of the voyage—View of Europe; Atlantic Ocean; America—Speculations on the future destiny of the United States—Moral reflections—Pacific Ocean—Hypothesis on the origin of the Moon; CHAPTER V: The voyage continued—Second view of Asia—The Brahmin’s speculations concerning India—Increase of the Moon’s attraction—Appearance of the Moon—They land on the Moon; CHAPTER VI: Some account of Morosofia, and its chief city, Alamatua—Singular dresses of the Lunar ladies—Religious self-denial—Glonglim miser and spendthrift; CHAPTER VII: Physical peculiarities of the Moon—Celestial phenomena —Farther description of the Lunarians—National prejudice—Lightness of bodies—The Brahmin carries Atterley to sup with a philosopher—His character and opinions; CHAPTER VIII: A celebrated physician: his ingenious theories in physics: his mechanical inventions—The feather-hunting Glonglim; CHAPTER IX: The fortune-telling philosopher, who inspected the finger nails: his visiters—Another philosopher, who judged of the character by the hair—The fortune-teller duped—Predatory warfare; CHAPTER X: The travellers visit a gentleman farmer, who is a great projector: his breed of cattle: his apparatus for cooking—He is taken dangerously ill; CHAPTER XI: Lunarian physicians: their consultation—While they dispute the patient recovers—The travellers visit the celebrated teacher Lozzi Pozzi; CHAPTER XII: Election of the Numnoonce, or town-constable—Violence of parties—Singular institution of the Syringe Boys—The prize-fighters—Domestic manufactures; CHAPTER XIII: Description of the Happy Valley—The laws, customs, and manners of the Okalbians—Theory of population —Rent—System of government; CHAPTER XIV: Further account of Okalbia—The Field of Roses—Curious superstition concerning that flower—The pleasures of smell traced to association, by a Glonglim philosopher; CHAPTER XV: Atterley goes to the great monthly fair—Its various exhibitions; difficulties—Preparations to leave the Moon—Curiosities procured by Atterley—Regress to the Earth; CHAPTER XVI: The Brahmin gives Atterley a history of his life; CHAPTER XVII: The Brahmin’s story continued—The voyage concluded—Atterley and the Brahmin separate—Atterley arrives in New-York; PART II: “Hans Pfaall––A Tale” (June 1835) by Edgar Allan Poe; PART III: “Great Astronomical Discoveries Lately Made by Sir John Herschel” (August 25-–30, 1835) by Richard Adam Locke; PART IV: “Orrin Lindsay’s Plan of Aerial Navigation” (May 1847) by John Leonard Riddell; Appendix A: Excerpt from Washington Irving’s A History of New York, 1809; Appendix B: Excerpts from “Anonymous Review of A Voyage to the Moon,” reprinted from American Quarterly Review No. 5 (March 1828); Appendix C: “Note” added for inclusion in the “Hans Pfaall” version in Poe’s collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, 1840; Appendix D: “Richard Adam Locke” in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Literati, 1850; Appendix E: Contemporary Responses to Richard Adam Locke’s “Great Astronomical Discoveries”; Appendix F: P. T. Barnum on Locke’s “Moon Hoax” (1866).