John Mastin

author

John Mastin

b. 1865

Best known for early science-fantasy adventures, this British writer also brought a clergyman’s curiosity and a popularizer’s touch to subjects like gemstones and religion. His stories mix speculative travel, lost worlds, and a distinctly Edwardian sense of wonder.

1 Audiobook

The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones

The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones

by John Mastin

About the author

Born on October 15, 1865, in Marchamley, Shropshire, John Mastin was a British author, clergyman, and popular science writer. He died on July 9, 1932, in Caernarvon, Wales.

He is chiefly remembered for several imaginative novels from the early 1900s, including The Stolen Planet (1906), The Immortal Light (1907), Through the Sun in an Airship (1909), and The Autobiography of a Picture (1910). Reference works on science fiction describe these books as scientific romances and note how they blend space travel, underground civilizations, religion, and adventure.

Mastin also wrote nonfiction, including The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones, showing the range of his interests beyond fiction. That mix of faith, science, and storytelling gives his work a character all its own.