looking backward edward bellamy

Looking Backward follows Julian West, a 19th-century man placed in a hypnotic sleep who awakens around the year 2000 to find a future socialist utopia where crime, war, and want have been eliminated.

Editions of Looking Backward are most commonly offered in paperback and hardcover bindings.

Page counts vary by edition; common totals include 176, 188, 190, 220, 240, and 256 pages.

Looking Backward was first published in 1888 and depicts a future society set in the year 2000.

The utopia features full employment with fair working conditions, material abundance and social harmony, formal equality between the sexes, free education, and retirement practices (notably retiring at around age 45 in the book’s model).

Suggested reader ages vary by edition; some list a recommended age of 14 years, while others indicate 22 years and up.