Last and first men, & Star maker
by Olaf Stapledon · first published 1968
5mentions
1recommended by
4HN commenters
2014–2025first – last mentioned
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Then I think that you would enjoy "Last and First Men and Star Maker" by Olaf Stapeldon. Available quite reasonably at https://www.amazon.com/Last-First-Men-Star-Maker/dp/04862196....
on “When algorithms surprise us” ↗For very philosophical writings about this, read "Last and First Men" and "Star Maker" by Olaf Stapledon. Written in the 1930's, these describe on a very expansive scale the history of, respectively, humanity and the universe. Very mind bending.
on “If the moon were only 1 pixel: A tediously accurate solar system model (2014)” ↗…quality than in the West That isn't entirely true, Lem praised the work of Philip K. Dick (American)[0][1] and Olaf Stapledon (English). He has two essays in which he analyzes Stapledon two great works: Last and First Men, and Star Maker[2]. I think you might also be suffering from a filter. The best of Polish writers were translated, whereas you have access to the glut of all American writers. It is probably true that there was a greater…
on “The Future According to Stanisław Lem” ↗…somehow most scifi readers haven't heard of him, much less read him. Perhaps his work is just too strange for mainstream readers, who can only appreciate traditional scifi. I've tried reading Stapledon (Last and First Men, and Star Maker), and I wanted to like him, I really did. His ideas and sheer breadth of vision (billions of years of history, spanning galaxies) sounded amazing. But when I got down to actually reading him, he sounded…
on “Classic Sci-Fi: Olaf Stapledon and R. A. Lafferty [pdf]” ↗Olaf Stapleton, "Last and First Men, & Star Maker: Two Science-fiction Novels" (from Google book search)
on “Ikea founder leaves fortune to no one, structures it to ensure it lasts forever” ↗