author
F. T. (Franklin Titus) Ives
1828–1910
Best known for the curious 1904 book The Hollow Earth, this Connecticut writer brought a businessman’s confidence and a storyteller’s energy to one of the era’s most eccentric scientific debates. He also left behind warm, vivid recollections of 19th-century New England life in Yankee Jumbles.
1 Audiobook
The Hollow Earth
by F. T. (Franklin Titus) Ives
About the author
Born in Meriden, Connecticut, on August 19, 1828, Franklin Titus Ives was an American businessman and author. He died in Meriden on January 30, 1910.
Ives is remembered chiefly for The Hollow Earth (1904), a nonfiction work arguing for the hollow-earth idea associated with John Cleves Symmes. The book stands out today as a lively example of speculative fringe science from the early 20th century, written with conviction and a taste for debate.
He also wrote Yankee Jumbles; or, Chimney Corner Tales of Nineteenth Century Events (1903), a collection of reminiscences tied to Connecticut life and customs. Together, his books show two sides of his writing: one fascinated by bold theories, the other rooted in local memory and everyday storytelling.