author

James B. (James Bradun) Alexander

1831–1914

A civil engineer by trade and an independent thinker by temperament, this early-20th-century writer left behind an unusual blend of speculative fiction and philosophical inquiry. His best-known book imagines a visitor from the Moon using fantasy and satire to reflect on life on Earth.

1 Audiobook

The Lunarian Professor and His Remarkable Revelations Concerning the Earth, the Moon and Mars Together with An Account of the Cruise of the Sally Ann

The Lunarian Professor and His Remarkable Revelations Concerning the Earth, the Moon and Mars Together with An Account of the Cruise of the Sally Ann

by James B. (James Bradun) Alexander

About the author

Born in Pennsylvania in July 1831, he later lived in Minneapolis, where records identify him as a civil engineer. He died there on December 25, 1914. The surviving record of his life is fairly sparse, which makes his books stand out all the more.

His most notable work is The Lunarian Professor and His Remarkable Revelations Concerning the Earth, the Moon and Mars (1909), a curious and imaginative novel that earned a place in science-fiction reference works. The story uses a dreamlike encounter with a lunar professor to explore big ideas about humanity, other worlds, and the odd habits of modern society.

He also wrote The Soul and Its Bearings (1909), a nonfiction work that approaches questions of mind, body, and spirit in a practical, mechanical way rather than a mystical one. Taken together, his books suggest a writer interested in both cosmic speculation and the inner workings of human nature.