The Steam Man of the Prairies
First U.S. science fiction dime novel featuring a steam-powered man.
Edward S. Ellis, a prolific 19th-century writer of history, biography, and frontier tales in the style of James Fenimore Cooper, authored The Steam Man of the Prairies. This novel was the first U.S. science fiction dime novel and a template for the Frank Reade series, marking an early example of the Edisonade genre.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Edward S. Ellis
- Title working
- The Huge Hunter
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Published
- 1868
- Format
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The novel may have been inspired by the steam powered invention of Zadoc Dederick.
- A five-issue limited series titled The Steam Man, co-written by Mark Alan Miller and Joe R. Lansdale and illustrated by Piotr Kowalski, appeared from Dark Horse Comics beginning in 2015.
- The character appears in a few panels of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Nemo: Heart of Ice comics.
Editions
The novel first appeared as Beadle's American Novel No. 45 in August 1868. Later editions were issued under the title The Huge Hunter; or, The Steam Man of the Prairies, including Beadle's Half Dime Library Vol. 11 No. 271 (October 3, 1882) and No. 1156 (December 1904), Beadle's New Dime Novels No. 591 (January 27, 1885), Beadle's Pocket Novels No. 40 (January 4, 1876), and Frank Starr's American Novels No. 14 (1869). A version titled Baldy's Boy Partner; or, Young Brainerd's Steam Man appeared in Pocket Library No. 245 (September 19, 1888).
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