The Moon Hoax
THE
MOON HOAX;
OR
A DISCOVERY THAT THE
MOON
HAS A VAST POPULATION OF
HUMAN BEINGS.
BY
RICHARD ADAMS LOCKE.
Illustrated with a View of the Moon,
AS SEEN BY LORD ROSSE'S TELESCOPE.
"The clouds still rested on one half of it, insomuch that I could discover nothing in it; but the other appeared to me a vast ocean planted with innumerable islands, that were covered with fruit and flowers, and interwoven with a thousand little shining seas that ran among them. I could see persons dressed in glorious habits with garlands upon their heads, passing among the trees, lying down by the sides of fountains, or resting on beds of flowers; and could hear a confused harmony of singing birds, falling waters, human voices, and musical instruments. Gladness grew in me upon the discovery of so delightful a scene. I wished for the wings of an eagle, that I might fly away to those happy seats; but the genius told me there was no passage to them except through the gates of death that I saw opening every moment upon the bridge."
NEW YORK:
WILLIAM GOWANS.
1859.
THE
MOON HOAX;
OR
A DISCOVERY THAT THE
MOON
HAS A VAST POPULATION OF
HUMAN BEINGS.
BY
RICHARD ADAMS LOCKE.
Illustrated with a View of the Moon,
AS SEEN BY LORD ROSSE'S TELESCOPE.
"The clouds still rested on one half of it, insomuch that I could discover nothing in it; but the other appeared to me a vast ocean planted with innumerable islands, that were covered with fruit and flowers, and interwoven with a thousand little shining seas that ran among them. I could see persons dressed in glorious habits with garlands upon their heads, passing among the trees, lying down by the sides of fountains, or resting on beds of flowers; and could hear a confused harmony of singing birds, falling waters, human voices, and musical instruments. Gladness grew in me upon the discovery of so delightful a scene. I wished for the wings of an eagle, that I might fly away to those happy seats; but the genius told me there was no passage to them except through the gates of death that I saw opening every moment upon the bridge."
NEW YORK:
WILLIAM GOWANS,
1859.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1859, by
WILLIAM GOWANS,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.
ADVERTISEMENT.
It appears to be as natural for the human mind to be craving after the wonderful, the mysterious, the marvellous, and the new discoveries, as it is for the physical appetite to desire food, drink, and sleep, and thereby as it were constantly attempting to lift up the veil that hides incomprehensibilities from our vision.
This interposition was, no doubt, wisely ordained, for the gazing upon such mysteries might strike us blind, and rob us of the little stock of happiness allotted to us while probationers here. May this longing not be the germ of the proof of our immortality?
The history of the human race is not only filled with instances of this kind of craving, but it is universal, from the loftiest minds as approach nearest the deity, such as Newton, La Place, and Mrs. Somerville, down to the most untutored savage that roams the forest wilds. Hence the key to the popularity of these charming productions which facinate our youth and continue to delight our manhood by letting us into the supposed mysteries of an enchanting fairy land, with a grace of narrative that quite takes us captive, while our curiosity and wonder is raised to the highest pitch in watching the developements unfolded in the narratives of these authors, and quite impatient till we learn the result of the plot, or discovery.
I allude to such productions as the Arabian Nights, Sir Thomas More's Utopia, Bishop Berkeley's Adventures of Signior Gaudentio Di Lucca, Swift's Gulliver's Travels, De Foe's Robinson Crusoe, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and Lord Erskine's Armata, besides numerous others of a similar character but of a less celebrated reputation.
Among this class of extraordinary fictitious narratives and supposed discovery, may be placed the renowned Moon Hoax, by Richard Adams Locke. When it first made its appearance from day to day in one of the morning papers, the interest in the discovery was intense, so much so that the circulation of the paper augmented five fold, and in fact, was the means of giving the journal a permanent footing as a daily newspaper. Nor did this multiplied circulation of the paper satisfy the public appetite. The proprietors of the journal had an edition of 60,000 published in pamphlet form, which were sold off in less than one month; and of late this pamphlet edition has become so scarce that a single copy was lately sold at the sale of Mr. Haswell's Library for $3.75.
The book is still in demand. As an instance of this the following will give some idea at what pains and cost some will go to procure it. I lately had a letter from a Gentleman residing in Wisconsin, making inquiry if I had such a book, he further informed me that his attention had been called to my book establishment in consequence of having sent to the Sunday Times, published in this city, the following query, "Can you inform me if such a book can be procured, and if so where, as 'The celebrated Moon Hoax?'" The answer was that if it could be procured at all, it would be at 85 Centre Street, New York. By this circuitous method, this dilligent far-west bookcollector procured his copy of the "Moon Hoax" to his great satisfaction.
August 1, 1859.Publisher.
THE MOON,
AS SEEN BY
LORD ROSSE'S TELESCOPE.
1856.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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