The Scientific Adventures of Baron Münchausen

Book excerpt: The 18th-century German folk hero, Baron Munchausen, is the protagonist in this classic science fiction tale. Braving the depths of space to explore the moon and Mars, the Baron discovers that the Martians make use of a variety of devices such as telepathy machines and molecular disintegrators. Many of the gadgets appearing in this story have since been adopted as standard science fiction elements used by other writers. Collected for the first time from the pages of "Electrical Experimenter" magazine, this is the sole edition of the Munchausen story serialized by Gernsback. It includes all the original illustrations as well as an astute afterword showcasing Gernsback s clear influence on science fictionin the 20th century."