No products in the cart.
The Iron Republic
Spine #45
Author
Richard Jameson Morgan
Translator
First Edition
1902
Heathen Edition
March 3, 2023
Refreshed
February 11, 2024
Pages
178
Heathen Genera
Hi-Sci-Fi
Paperback ISBN
978-1-948316-45-3
Hardcover ISBN
978-1-963228-45-8
I am well aware that much of what I shall relate will appear incredible, and doubtless the whole story will be set down by many as a purely fanciful creation, like the fictions produced by Bellamy and other theorists within the past few years.
I regret that my narrative proved, and demonstrated as it will be, must unsettle scientific theories and make it necessary to reconstruct some of our schoolbooks. But while this will result in temporary inconvenience and shake the faith of some in the dicta of science, upon the whole the benefit will far exceed the injury. It is well to have our scientific theories unsettled every now and then, or we would become fossilized and arrogant like the bigots of the middle ages and oppose any further advance in knowledge.
It is unnecessary to say that after my narrative has been accepted, the Zetetic theory of the earth as a plane will have to be recognized and the geographies made in conformity therewith.
Richard Jameson Morgan (1850–1906) was a pioneering American newspaperman, Congregationalist minister, lecturer, and author based in Florida, where he edited and published the Sub-Peninsula Sun and St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) newspapers. In 1902, Florida Magazine serialized his sci-fi novella that recounts the story — presented as fact — of J. Edward Barrington’s 1890s sea passage through the Antarctic ice wall where he discovers The Iron Republic, an ultramodern and technologically advanced utopian society. “Either as fact or fiction, it is a rare story and presents an ideal of society and government that will make the average reader long to be a citizen of the newly discovered Iron Republic.”
Buy from us!
Paperback
OTHER RETAILERS
Rate & Shelve It
Hardcover
OTHER RETAILERS
Rate & Shelve It
"An unusually interesting serial."
Tampa Bay Tribune
Heathenry
Contents
Praise
Details
Preview
Heathenry
As for the text, we took issue with Morgan’s original six-chapter structure. Why? Because as we first assembled this edition, the original Chapter 3 was 36 pages, and Chapter 5 was a staggering 60 pages. Given that this is a novella, 60 pages in a single chapter seems a bit tedious and unwieldy, especially considering the information conveyed in that chapter, and because nearly all of the other chapters were less than 10 pages each, so we have fractionated Chapters 3 and 5 utilizing natural narrative break points in order to make the text more manageable, resulting in a new chapter total of 13.
For transparency’s sake, here is our breakdown:
Chapters 1 and 2 are the same as the original serial.
Chapter 3 has become Chapters 3 through 6.
Chapter 4 is the same, but is now Chapter 7.
Chapter 5 has become Chapters 8 through 12.
And what was originally titled “Conclusion,” the sixth and final chapter, is now Chapter 13.
We’ve also corrected numerous instances throughout the story in which Morgan allowed two characters to speak dialogue within the same sentence or paragraph, which we always find maddening when you inevitably find yourself asking, “Wait: who’s saying what?”
Further, we have collected and included three additional Morgan pieces that were published alongside the original serial in Florida Magazine. The first being a brief biographical sketch of Morgan titled “A Many-Sided Man” that provides the most information our research has been able to uncover about the can-do Floridian jack of all trades. The second and third being his poems “Ah the Days.” and “Them Sweet Old Days.”
All together, our edition includes everything contributed by, and concerning, Richard Jameson Morgan that was published in Florida Magazine in 1902.
To read our full thoughts, check out: The Iron Republic: An “unusually interesting” story. . .
Contents
Heathenry: Thoughts on the Text
A Many-Sided Man
“Ah the Days.”
“Them Sweet Old Days.”
The Iron Republic
A Many-Sided Man
“Ah the Days.”
“Them Sweet Old Days.”
The Iron Republic
Praise
“The February Florida Magazine contains the opening chapters of an unusually interesting serial entitled The Iron Republic. Its style recalls Robert Louis Stevenson, the story of Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, and others that deal with the unusual in a wholesome way. Its story is with scenes and ideal conditions located in the lands of the Southern Sea. An American is driven from his native land through political discomfiture, buys a ship, and journeys in search of a happier heart. The serial will form delightful reading.” —The Tampa Tribune
“Mr. Richard Jameson Morgan has become known to our readers as a polished and versatile writer.” —Florida Magazine
“The Iron Republic itself is what must be seen to be a communist utopia with multi-tiered bullet trains, personal flying machines, silent motor carriages, and enough paper napkins for all.” —Kook Science
Details
The Iron Republic
Heathen Edition #45Format: Paperback
Interior: Black & White on Cream Paper
Pages: 178 (+2 POD)
Language: English
Annotations: 139 Footnotes
Illustrations: 5
Preview
@heatheneditions #heathenedition
Copyright © 2024 Heathen Creative, LLC. All rights reserved.