Looking Backward
Looking Backward: 2000–1887 is a utopian science fiction novel by the American journalist and writer Edward Bellamy first published in 1888.
Cover of the Ticknor & Co. first edition of Looking Backward, 2000–1887 | |
| Author | Edward Bellamy |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Utopian novel Science fiction |
| Publisher | • Ticknor & Co. (Jan. 1888) • Houghton Mifflin (Sept. 1889) |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | vii, 470 |
| Followed by | Equality (1897) |
The book was translated into several languages, and in short order "sold a million copies."
According to a 2021 essay in The New York Times, "In the 19th-century United States, only Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold more copies in its first years than 'Looking Backward.'" Bellamy's book influenced many intellectuals, and appears by title in many socialist writings of the day. "It is one of the few books ever published that created almost immediately on its appearance a political mass movement."
In the United States alone, over 162 "Bellamy Clubs" sprang up to discuss and propagate the book's ideas. Owing to its commitment to the nationalization of private property and the desire to avoid use of the term "socialism," this political movement came to be known as Nationalism (not to be confused with the political ideology of nationalism). The novel also inspired several utopian communities.