Looking Backward: 2000-1887

By Edward Bellamy

Book Overview

"Looking Backward 2000-1887" is a seminal work of utopian science fiction and social commentary that captures the imaginative spirit of the late nineteenth century. The narrative follows Julian West, a young Bostonian who falls into a deep, hypnotic sleep in 1887 and awakens in the year 2000. He discovers a radically transformed world-a peaceful, socialist society where the industrial inefficiencies and social inequalities of his past have been replaced by a system of cooperation, collective ownership, and shared prosperity.

Edward Bellamy's vision of the future explores profound themes of economic reform, human progress, and the potential for a more just social order. Through West's observations and his enlightening conversations with Dr. Leete, the novel details the mechanics of this new civilization, including the concept of the "Industrial Army" and the total elimination of poverty. As one of the most influential and widely read American novels of its era, "Looking Backward 2000-1887" remains a thought-provoking examination of societal evolution and the enduring human quest for a perfect world. This masterpiece of speculative fiction continues to challenge readers to reflect on the organization of modern life and the possibilities for a better future.

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This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025811038
• ISBN13: 9781025811031
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 1.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 0.8" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful escape from our late capitalist nightmare

This book is written very poetically. Despite its being written in 1886, it is still easy to understand and actually beautifully written. I loved escaping to this utopia that describes how society could work if we chose to work for our collective good rather than the private profits of a few greedy capitalists. It's not too long of a book either.

Amazing condition!

The book, though I'm only halfway through it, is pretty good. An interesting read, though the world explaining would sometimes drag on and repeat numerous times (was not a fan of this). The shipping was also very speedy, just in time for the new semester! Received a different cover/edition than what the picture showed, but honestly I didn't care because my professor did not care. I have made quite a few purchases on this website and it's very trustworthy, so don't let the fact that I got a different cover scare you away :)

Fast shipment

After only 5 days after i purchased my book, i received it right away. It was in great conditions and great timing. Thank you. I would definetely buy from them again.

A must read for anyone seeking an alternative to the system of corp. greed.

In "Looking Backward", Bellamy, gives a compelling metaphor of the economic system of corporate greed where 99% of the countries wealth is controlled by 1%. To repeat 99% of the people enjoy 1% of the wealth where 1% of the greedy control 99%. Bellamy's "Looking backwards ", written in 1894, advances some very powerful ideas for an alternative economic system that would be very workable with current technology and addresses the problem where 96 billion pounds of food are wasted each year while 12 million children face hunger.

Amazing

I greatly enjoyed this book. The fact that it was published in 1888, is mind blowing. It is still very much relevant to today's society. There are ton of great ideas that really make the reader think about. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is open minded to new ideas, a forward looking thinker, and/or interested in the structure of society. This is easily one of my favorite books.

Classic

This is one of the best books ever written. Timeless. I purchase copies to give to friends.

A warmly human and enlightening read

Having never really heard of this novel or its author before, I was rather surprised to discover how immensely popular it was at the end of the nineteenth century. Edward Bellamy does an excellent albeit sometimes pedantic job of communicating his socioeconomic views and provides an interesting and informative read, despite the fact that the utopia of his fictional creation is a socialist nightmare in the realm of my own personal philosophy. It is very important to understand the time in which Bellamy was writing, especially for a conservative-minded thinker such as myself who holds many of Bellamy's views as anathema. It was the mid-1880s, a time of great social unrest; vast strikes by labor unions, clashes between workers and managers, a debilitating economic depression. Bellamy, to his credit, in no way comes off as holier than thou; his wealthy protagonist recognizes his own responsibility in seeing the world in the eyes of the more prosperous classes, basically ignoring the plights of the poor and downtrodden, having inherited rather than earned the money he is privileged to enjoy, etc. This makes the character's observations and conclusions very impactful upon the reader. While I do respect Bellamy's views and understand the context in which they germinated, I cannot help but describe his future utopia as nothing less than naïve, socialistic, unworkable, and destructive of the individual spirit. Indeed, it sounds to me like vintage Soviet communism, at least in its ideals. Bellamy is a Marxist with blinders on. I should describe the actual novel at this point. The protagonist, an insomniac having employed a mesmerist to help him sleep through the night, finds himself waking up not the following morning in 1887 but in a completely changed world in 2000. His bed chamber was a subterranean fortress of sorts which only he, his servant, and the mesmerist (who left the city that same night) even knew about, and apparently his home proper burned down on that fateful night and thus his servant was clearly unable to bring him out of his trance the following morning. It is only by accident that Dr. Leekes of twentieth-century Boston discovers the unknown tomb and helps resuscitate its remarkable inhabitant. 20th-century life is wholly unlike anything the protagonist has ever known, and the book basically consists of a number of instruction sessions by the Leekes as to how society has been virtually perfected over the preceding 100 years. There is no more war, crime, unhappiness, discrimination, etc. There are no such things as wages or prices, even. All men and women are paid the same by virtue of their being human beings; while money does not exist, everyone has everything they possibly need easily available to them for purchase with special credit cards. Every part of the economy is controlled by the national government, and it is through cooperation of the brotherhood of men that production has exceeded many times over that of pr