What do you think?
The Panchronicon
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
- GenresScience Fiction
222 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1904
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 20, 2012
Read the Project Gutenberg edition.
The book has been called "historical fiction". Like many time travel books there's an element of that. In this case, it's not as much just an excuse to observe the past. One character wants to make a fortune by taking "modern" devices back in time to get a patent & sell. One character doesn't really believe she's gone back in time, so interacts inappropriately for the era...
It's historical in that it was written in 1904, is about characters from 1898 New Hampshire ending up in Elizabethan England. One character wants to find out if Francis Bacon actually wrote Shakespeare's plays.
The story-telling is entertaining. Good light reading. Aside from traveling to the past, there's nothing to satisfy an appetite for SF. The observant reader can note a great variety of time travel paradoxes and questions.
The book has been called "historical fiction". Like many time travel books there's an element of that. In this case, it's not as much just an excuse to observe the past. One character wants to make a fortune by taking "modern" devices back in time to get a patent & sell. One character doesn't really believe she's gone back in time, so interacts inappropriately for the era...
It's historical in that it was written in 1904, is about characters from 1898 New Hampshire ending up in Elizabethan England. One character wants to find out if Francis Bacon actually wrote Shakespeare's plays.
The story-telling is entertaining. Good light reading. Aside from traveling to the past, there's nothing to satisfy an appetite for SF. The observant reader can note a great variety of time travel paradoxes and questions.
January 10, 2023
In the year 1897, the young, witty and pretty Shakespeare enthusiast Phoebe and her 18 years older, unmarried sister Rebecca are swept away from their New Hampshire home by the eccentric town drunkard Copernicus Droop, who, through marvellous circumstances, has come into possession of a time machine, the Panchronicon. It works on the principle that if you go around the world fast enough in the right direction, you cut across daylight meridians, thus travelling back in time. The trio devise a plan to go back 15 years and become rich, but unfortunately go back 300 years to Shakespearian England, with unexpected consequences involving the Bard himself, Queen Elizabeth, Francis Bacon and other notorious persons.
A whimsical comedy, "The Panchronicon" was one of many imitations of Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court", though without that novel's satirical edge and wit. The idea of going around the north pole extremely fast, thus travelling backward in time is just as believable as Twain having his protagonist getting clonked in the head with the same result.
It's fun having two strong female protagonists, and there are a number of rather funny moments and situations in "The Panchronicon". Its lack of satirical elements both guards it from ageing, as makes it little more than a footnote in SF history. A breezy read if you can get over the wacky temporal physics.
The Scribner 1st edition is a beautifully hand-painted, blue leather binding, and goes for bargain sums if you can find it.
A whimsical comedy, "The Panchronicon" was one of many imitations of Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court", though without that novel's satirical edge and wit. The idea of going around the north pole extremely fast, thus travelling backward in time is just as believable as Twain having his protagonist getting clonked in the head with the same result.
It's fun having two strong female protagonists, and there are a number of rather funny moments and situations in "The Panchronicon". Its lack of satirical elements both guards it from ageing, as makes it little more than a footnote in SF history. A breezy read if you can get over the wacky temporal physics.
The Scribner 1st edition is a beautifully hand-painted, blue leather binding, and goes for bargain sums if you can find it.
November 17, 2017
Being a fan of time travel novels, particularly time travel to the past, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to read this early work in the genre. It’s not that good, but it was fun.
August 31, 2021
Quite a hike, and a fun dip, into early science fiction and time travel.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews