Julian West is an aristocrat in 19th century America. He has all that he would ever need, a happy engagement, wealth, and a pleasant place to live. Because of his comfortable place in society, Julian is unsympathetic to the plight of the middle and lower class, and even looks to their protests and strikes with distain and contempt. One day, to calm himself, he decides to be put in a hypnotic sleep by his doctor, in his own underground bunker. This was routine for Julian, but when tragedy in the form of a fire strikes, Julian is presumed dead and left in the bunker. A century later, Julian is found, but wakes to a world he could never predict. With the help of the man that found him, Doctor Leete, and Leetes daughter, Edith, Julian becomes familiar with the 20th century American reality of equality between the sexes, the abolition of poverty, free education, and fair working conditions. Julian must then accept recognize his unempathetic views of the past, now understanding that life is better when people of all genders, classes, and race can be happy. But when Julian finds himself back in the 19th century, he struggles to convince others of his knowledge, and starts to wonder if the ideal 20th century was all a dream. Looking Backward was one of the most commercially successful novels of the 19th century, and upon its publication, inspired mass political movement. With the portrayal of the 20th century, Bellamy advocates for equality, and rejects war and capitalism. By depicting a happy working environment, where citizens had the freedom to choose their occupations, receive fair wages, and are able to retire at a reasonable time, Bellamy raises awareness for the working class. Looking Backward has since inspired the ideology of socialism, and proposes solutions to problems that America still struggles with today.Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.
P>From the Back Cover When Julian West, an aristocrat from the late 19th century, falls into a hypnotic sleep and awakes in the 20th century, he is surprised to find an ideal society. Originally published in 1888, Looking Backward is a utopian novel written by Edward Bellamy. With the address of social problems such as war, poverty, unemployment, and miserable working conditions, Looking Backward depicts an ideal, necessary, and attainable society that has not yet been achieved in modern-day America. About the Author: Edward Bellamy (1850-1898) was an American author, journalist, and activist. He was a Nationalist, and his work inspired the establishment of many Nationalist clubs throughout the United States. Bellamys most popular work, Looking Backward, was one of the bestsellers of his time, and inspired political action from the readers. The year before he died, Bellamy published a sequel to Looking Backward called Equality that addressed issues overlooked in the original novel. Throughout his prolific career, Edward Bellamy used his talent to advocate for social justice and inspire political change.- We ship across Australia, including major cities like: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Newcastle and the Gold Coast