{"product_id":"imagination-and-evolution-a-truer-history-of-science-fiction-paperback-1","title":"Imagination and Evolution: A Truer History of Science Fiction - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJohn J. Pierce\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eDarrell Schweitzer\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eImagination and Evolution is the history of that conversation, which brought what we now call science fiction into existence and saw it grow into a global phenomenon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers have long traced its origins to the satirical travel tales and serious utopian theories of ancient Greek and Roman times. But there was nothing inevitable about that; it took revolutions in science and literature to create a climate for the genre, with cultural parallels that parallel Darwinian evolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere were a number of mutations among ancestors of sf, most notably what French critics called \u003cem\u003evoyages imaginaires\u003c\/em\u003e and utopian tracts, spread through adaptive radiation. Later came several proto-sf genres that didn't converse with one another. They, too, spread through adaptive radiation, and there were cultural equivalents of Darwin's finches and even DNA.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnly with the scientific romances of Jules Verne did sf as we know it inspire a common conversation that absorbed those of proto-sf, to create a literature of ideas that has spread around the world and speaks to us as no other genre can.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJohn J. Pierce, born in 1941, is a long time science fiction fan and critic, who started out with his own fanzines but went on to edit several Best Of collections for Ballantine\/Del Rey and commentaries on Cordwainer Smith, He was editor of Galaxy magazine for one year, He made his living as a journalist, but had a long interest in history, beginning at the University of Missouri (1964), That led to the first version of his sf history in 1984-6. He is married to Marcia, née Feinbaum, and they live in northern New Jersey.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 392\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.87 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 01, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53026016067891,"sku":"9781649324542","price":50.13,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/V009ZWzH3e9781649324542_127b4061-be39-4ca0-8f7e-8110d21c34ea.webp?v=1770235252","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/imagination-and-evolution-a-truer-history-of-science-fiction-paperback-1","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}