A Voyage to Arcturus
by David Lindsay
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Book Summary Information
Author: David LindsayEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-03-26
ISBN: 1604591455
Number of pages: 204
Publisher: Wilder Publications
Book Reviews of A Voyage to Arcturus
Book Review: A Minor Masterpiece; A Flawed Edition
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read this philosophical fantasy back in the 1960s or early '70s. I was overwhelmed by it then, but a year or two later when I went to reread it, the book had disappeared. (Doubtless an unreturned loan to a friend.) When I learned the book was back in print, and in several aditions, I wasted little time in buying it. I now realize that I was right the first time. The novel is (at least!) a minor masterpiece.
I will not get into details of the plot which centers on a journey of a man from earth across Tormance, a fictional planet circling the fictional two suns that make up the star we know as Arcturus. There, he searches for truth and has a series of fantastic adventures--some of them murderous--that entail the growth of extra limbs and organs whle his beliefs change as violently as his body.
It was only the edition I have (Wilder Publications) that made me hesitat before giving this bood the five stars it richly deserves. The many misprints include misspelled words, sentences with words missing, poor punctuation, etc. etc. One major typographical stumbling block was having hyphens the same length as dashes. The most curious flaw, however, was placing the name, Frank R. Stockton at the top of left hand pages facing the book's title which was correctly placed at the top of the right-handed pages. A little research told me that Stockton wrote fantasies for children--which probably explains the suggestion at the front of this edition that parents discuss with their children how views on race have changed since the book was written. An otherwise strange caution since "A Voyage To Arcturus" is not a children's book nor is there any mention of race in it.
In summing up, I would say do get this magnificent novel, but try to avoid the Wilder Pubications edition. There are many other editions listed in Amazon and they can't all be as flawed as this one.
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