Hollow Earth Treasure, Victorian Pulp revisionism, & Self Determinism

Printed a great book today: Etidorhpa by Llewellyn Drury. An unusual title (it's 'Aphrodite' backwards), and even zanier concept-- a man finds a stranger in his living room, who then hands him a manuscript detailing travels inside the earth. It has some neat illustrations detailing the old man's visit to the Hollow Earth, where he is guided by a being that is completely hairless, eyeless, sexless. Just look at the PDF to see what I mean.

The Hollow Earth idea was the 19th Century's "Kennedy Assassination" of its era; it spurred all sorts of literature, plays, actual Scientific expeditions to the Arctic to find an opening to the realm, all for naught. The Hollow Earth theory hasn't entirely died out; there have been books about lizard people and secret tunnel complexes running the length and breadth of the planet, and the rumors that there are some caves in Tibet in particular... See? It's easy to get drawn into Fringe archaeology. It's even easier now that Google Editions can let you print these seminal works...

I started reading a book from Black Coat Press, who appears to specialize in reprinting 19th century French fantasy, gothics, and science fiction, as well as more modern European SF works. This one is directly inspired by Alan Moore's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" retro-pastich, with it's own unique alternate history fantasy-steampunk elements. The core of the story is that the residents of Neverland materialized one day in the middle of the Royal Gardens in London-- pirate ship, lost boys, indians, and faerie folk -- as refugees, and only Peter Pan stayed behind, to become a meance to the British (Albion) Empire. "The League of Heroes" is Lord Kraven, a Victorian-era military Doc Savage, Phileas Fogg, Lord Greystoke, Sherlock Holmes, Steam-powered iron suits, and plenty of pulp-references and a delightful tongue in cheek attitude. And I printed a copy out and put it on the shelf in Science Fiction. It's that easy.

If that book interests you, you should head over to our online database at: www.thirdplacepress.com to do searches for books to print. You'll be amazed what you find. And when yo udo, call the store and we'll print them out for you.