author
J. W. (Julius Washington) Muller
1867–1930
Best known for imagining a startling future-war attack on the United States, this early 20th-century American writer mixed suspense with arguments about military preparedness. His books range from speculative fiction to practical nonfiction, giving his work an unusual blend of alarm, curiosity, and period detail.
1 Audiobook
The Invasion of America: a fact story based on the inexorable mathematics of war
by J. W. (Julius Washington) Muller
About the author
Born in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, on December 29, 1867, J. W. Muller is identified by the Science Fiction Encyclopedia as Julius Washington Muller, and possibly George Washington Muller. He died on June 8, 1930. Reliable catalog records connect him with a wide span of published work in the early 1900s.
He is most remembered today for The Invasion of America: A Fact Story Based on the Inexorable Mathematics of War (1916), a lightly fictionalized future-war narrative about a successful invasion of the United States by a European coalition led by Germany. The book reflects the anxieties of its moment and stands out as an example of American invasion literature from just before the United States entered World War I.
Muller also wrote beyond speculative fiction. Library and public-domain records show works on national defense, deep-sea fishing grounds, and The Invention of Lithography, suggesting an author interested not only in dramatic warning tales but also in technology, practical knowledge, and public affairs.