Robert Duncan Milne: A Lost Pioneer of Science Fiction

Unlike most episodes there are no film spoilers ahead!

For full detailed show notes please click the episode on this page and scroll down.

This episode we take a huge jump back to the end of the 19th century and a side step to science fiction literature rather than film.

Robert Duncan Milne is a lost pioneer of science fiction literature. Milne's work had largely vanished despite a book drawing attention to him in 1980. Born in Scotland in 1844 he died in San Francisco at the dawn of the 20th century. During his time in San Francisco he worked as a journalist as well as writing science fiction short stories.

In the many stories Milne wrote he included themes of time travel, alien life, teleportation, cryogenic preservation, remote surveillance and much much more.

My fantastic guests today have spent many years researching and compiling Milne's work and trying to discover as much as possible about his life and work.

The Experts
Keith Williams is a Reader in English Literature at the University of Dundee where he runs the science fiction programme. He has a special interest in the pre 1945 period.
Ari Brin completed her Masters at the University of Dundee where she began her PhD research which focuses on the life and work of Robert Duncan Milne.

The book that Ari and Keith have been working on will be released in January 2025. It is available for pre-order for the ungodly price of £117 in the UK or $175 in the USA. We all hope a cheaper, consumer friendly version will be released in the future.

Shownotes:
00:00 Introduction
01:59 Why was this pioneer's work lost?
03:21 Milne's contemporaries and the topics he wrote about
06:57 The promising young man who vanishes from Scottish society
12:32 San Francisco: an exciting literary hub in the late 19th century
14:18 Milne's excessive drinking and the Keeley cure
19:27 Milne's journalism and how it fed into his fiction
22:20 The Great Moon Hoax of 1835
25:51 Milne, Wells and visions of the future
33:17 The death of Milne and his work
36:32 Keith and Ari's book and the crazy price

NEXT EPISODE!

WE ARE IN THE 1950s!!!!! It is an exciting but overwhelming time so please bear with me.

The next film we will be speaking about The Thing From Another World (1951). You can find out where you can watch it on Just Watch: https://www.justwatch.com/

It is available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play and other outlets. If you are in the USA I believe you can watch it for free (with ads) on Tubi.

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