Looking Backward: 2000-1887

Edward Bellamy (1850 - 1898)

Looking Backward: 2000-1887 is a utopian novel by Edward Bellamy, first published in 1888. It was the third largest bestseller of its time, after Uncle Tom's Cabin and Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

The book tells the story of Julian West, a young American who, towards the end of the 19th century, falls into a deep, hypnosis-induced sleep and wakes up more than a century later. He finds himself in the same location (Boston, Massachusetts) but in a totally changed world: It is the year 2000 and, while he was sleeping, the U.S.A. has been transformed into a socialist utopia. This book outlines Bellamy's complex thoughts about improving the future, and is an indictment of industrial capitalism. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia)

Genre(s): Science Fiction

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 01 - Preface & Chapter 1 Anna Simon
00:22:12
Play 02 02 - Chapter 2 & 3 Anna Simon
00:25:49
Play 03 03 - Chapter 4 & 5 Anna Simon
00:27:18
Play 04 04 - Chapter 6 & 7 Anna Simon
00:22:34
Play 05 05 - Chapter 8 & 9 Anna Simon
00:31:21
Play 06 06 - Chapter 10 & 11 Anna Simon
00:30:06
Play 07 07 - Chapter 12 Anna Simon
00:22:41
Play 08 08 - Chapter 13 & 14 Anna Simon
00:30:43
Play 09 09 - Chapter 15 & 16 Anna Simon
00:26:58
Play 10 10 - Chapter 17 & 18 Anna Simon
00:26:50
Play 11 11 - Chapter 19, 20 & 21 Anna Simon
00:35:57
Play 12 12 - Chapter 22 Anna Simon
00:31:09
Play 13 13 - Chapter 23 & 24 Anna Simon
00:12:41
Play 14 14 - Chapter 25 Anna Simon
00:23:55
Play 15 15 - Chapter 26 Anna Simon
00:34:14
Play 16 16 - Chapter 27 Anna Simon
00:21:15
Play 17 17 - Chapter 28 Anna Simon
00:39:22