Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Last American

I just discovered this : The Last American a 19th century book by John Ames Mitchell . The narrator , a Persian explorer, in the year 2951 visits ruined New York and Washington in the book.

From the introduction:
The astounding discoveries of Khan-li of Dimph-yoo-chur have thrown floods of light upon the domestic life of the Mehrikan people. He little realized when he landed upon that sleeping continent what a service he was about to render history, or what enthusiasm his discoveries would arouse among Persian archaeologists.

Every student of antiquity is familiar with these facts.

But for the benefit of those who have yet to acquire a knowledge of this extraordinary people, I advise, first, a visit to the Museum at Teheran in order to excite their interest in the subject, and second, the reading of such books as Nofuhl's "What we Found in the West," and Noz-yt-ahl's "History of the Mehrikans." The last-named is a complete and reliable history of these people from the birth of the Republic under George-wash-yn-tun to the year 1990, when they ceased to exist as a nation. I must say, however, that Noz-yt-ahl leaves the reader much confused concerning the period between the massacre of the Protestants in 1927, and the overflow of the Murfey dynasty in 1940.


Good dolly, how did I miss this book all these years?

There's a number of illustrations in this 78 page book. It's an interesting book worth the brief read for folks into alternative history, science-fiction, post-apocalypse and games involving long journeys and rooting about in ruins.

7 comments:

  1. Very interesting! I've never heard of this either.

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  2. Holy CRAP. That's a hell of a find. The art alone is unsettling. A post-apocalyptic book in the ruins of America written in 1889? Amazing!

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  3. It was a happy find. It's a a hundred year old satire that still has something to say today.

    @ Matt, I must credit you for aiding my discovery. I was doing a search on Joseph Gandy because of the image you posted in your latest blog entry and stumbled upon the Last American.

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  4. Good find.

    Related: When the New Zealander Comes - a slightly later (Edwardian) take on an archaeological expedition to the benighted northern isle of Wallia.

    (part of Forgotten Futures V: Goodbye Piccadilly - http://www.forgottenfutures.com/game/ff5/)

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