Last and First Men
First edition cover
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| Author | Olaf Stapledon |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | science fiction/future history |
| Published | 1930 (Methuen) |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 43880808 |
Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future is a "future history" science fiction novel written in 1930 by the British author Olaf Stapledon. A work of unprecedented scale in the genre, it describes the history of humanity from the present onwards across two billion years and eighteen distinct human species, of which our own is the first. Stapledon's conception of history is based on the Hegelian Dialectic, following a repetitive cycle with many varied civilisations rising from and descending back into savagery over millions of years, but it is also one of progress, as the later civilisations rise to far greater heights than the first. The book anticipates the science of genetic engineering, and is an early example of the fictional supermind; a consciousness composed of many telepathically-linked individuals.
In 1932, Stapledon followed Last and First Men with the far less acclaimed Last Men in London. His other novel, Star Maker (1937), could also be considered a sequel to Last and First Men (mentioning briefly man's evolution on Neptune), but is even more ambitious in scope, being a history of the entire universe.
It is the 11th title in the SF Masterworks series.
Characters discuss the novel in H. G. Wells' Star-Begotten.
The novel appears in the computer game Deus Ex as a reference when a corporation in the game allegedly tries to develop the Second Men in the series, but also in a much broader aspect as the game deals with genetic engineering, the next phase of evolution and human augmentations. Also similar to the book are the options presented to the player as to where human kind will go next: a fall back into an almost savage state of humanity, a keeping of the status quo or an extreme progression with the danger of sacrificing basic rights.
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