Morgan Robertson
Encyclopedia
Morgan Andrew Robertson was a well-known American
author of short stories
and novel
s, and the self-claimed inventor of the periscope
.
He is best known for his short novel Futility
, first published in 1898. This story features an enormous British
passenger liner called the Titan, which, deemed to be unsinkable, carries an insufficient number of lifeboats. On a voyage in the month of April, the Titan hits an iceberg
and sinks in the North Atlantic, resulting in the loss of almost everyone on board. There are some similarities to the real-life sinking of the RMS Titanic. The book was published fourteen years before the Titanic hit an iceberg and settled on the bottom of the North Atlantic.
that used a device called a periscope
. Despite Robertson's later claims that he had "invented" a prototype periscope himself (and was refused a patent), Simon Lake
and Harold Grubb had perfected the model used by the U.S. Navy by 1902, three years before Robertson's "prescient" novel.
In 1914, in a volume that also contained a new version of Futility, Robertson included a short story called "Beyond the Spectrum", which described a future war between the United States
and Empire of Japan
, a popular subject at the time. Japan does not declare war but instead launches sneak attacks on United States ships en route to the Philippines and Hawaii; an invasion fleet about to launch a surprise attack on San Francisco is stopped by the hero using the weapon from a captured Japanese vessel. The title refers to an ultraviolet
searchlight used by the Japanese, but invented by the Americans, to blind American crews. Some readers have compared the searchlight's effects (blindness, intense heat, and facial burns) to those of the atomic bomb.
Robertson was the author of Primordial / Three Laws and the Golden Rule, a novella about shipwrecked children growing up together and falling in love on a desert island. Fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs
acknowledge Robertson's contribution to the works of Henry De Vere Stacpoole
, particularly The Blue Lagoon
. They believe that both Robertson's and Stacpoole's writings influenced Burroughs in his creation of Tarzan of the Apes
.
On March 24, 1915, Robertson was found dead in his room at the Alamac Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey
. He was 53 years of age. It is believed that he died of an overdose of protiodide
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
and novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, and the self-claimed inventor of the periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
.
He is best known for his short novel Futility
Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan
Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan is an 1898 novella written by Morgan Robertson. The story features the ocean liner Titan, which sinks in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg...
, first published in 1898. This story features an enormous British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
passenger liner called the Titan, which, deemed to be unsinkable, carries an insufficient number of lifeboats. On a voyage in the month of April, the Titan hits an iceberg
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
and sinks in the North Atlantic, resulting in the loss of almost everyone on board. There are some similarities to the real-life sinking of the RMS Titanic. The book was published fourteen years before the Titanic hit an iceberg and settled on the bottom of the North Atlantic.
Other works
In 1905, Robertson's book The Submarine Destroyer was released. It described a submarineSubmarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
that used a device called a periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
. Despite Robertson's later claims that he had "invented" a prototype periscope himself (and was refused a patent), Simon Lake
Simon Lake
Simon Lake was a Quaker American mechanical engineer and naval architect who obtained over two hundred patents for advances in naval design and competed with John Philip Holland to build the first submarines for the United States Navy.Born in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Lake joined his father's...
and Harold Grubb had perfected the model used by the U.S. Navy by 1902, three years before Robertson's "prescient" novel.
In 1914, in a volume that also contained a new version of Futility, Robertson included a short story called "Beyond the Spectrum", which described a future war between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, a popular subject at the time. Japan does not declare war but instead launches sneak attacks on United States ships en route to the Philippines and Hawaii; an invasion fleet about to launch a surprise attack on San Francisco is stopped by the hero using the weapon from a captured Japanese vessel. The title refers to an ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
searchlight used by the Japanese, but invented by the Americans, to blind American crews. Some readers have compared the searchlight's effects (blindness, intense heat, and facial burns) to those of the atomic bomb.
Robertson was the author of Primordial / Three Laws and the Golden Rule, a novella about shipwrecked children growing up together and falling in love on a desert island. Fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
acknowledge Robertson's contribution to the works of Henry De Vere Stacpoole
Henry De Vere Stacpoole
Henry De Vere Stacpoole was an Irish author, born in Kingstown . His best known work is the 1908 romance novel The Blue Lagoon, which has been adapted into feature films on three occasions...
, particularly The Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon (novel)
The Blue Lagoon is a romance novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, first published in 1908. The novel is the first of the Blue Lagoon trilogy, the second being The Garden of God and the third being The Gates of Morning ....
. They believe that both Robertson's and Stacpoole's writings influenced Burroughs in his creation of Tarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in a series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine All-Story Magazine in October, 1912; the first book edition was published in 1914. The character was so popular that Burroughs...
.
On March 24, 1915, Robertson was found dead in his room at the Alamac Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
. He was 53 years of age. It is believed that he died of an overdose of protiodide
Protiodide
Protiodide is an iodide of mercury and was a very commonly used drug in the 19th century, prescribed for everything from acne to kidney disease. It was also the treatment of choice for syphilis...
.
Books and stories
- This list may not be complete.
- Where Angels Fear to Tread and Other Stories of the Sea, anthology published 1899, The Century Co., containing:
- Where angels fear to tread
- The brain of the battle-ship
- The wigwag message
- The trade-wind
- Salvage
- Between the Millstones
- The Battle of the Monsters
- From the royal-yard down
- Needs must when the devil drives
- When Greek meets Greek
- Primordial
- Masters of Men, published 1901, Curtis Publishing Co.
- Book I - The Age of Stone
- Book II - The Age of Iron
- Book III - Barbarism
- Book IV - Civilization
- Futility, or the Wreck of the TitanFutility, or the Wreck of the TitanFutility, or the Wreck of the Titan is an 1898 novella written by Morgan Robertson. The story features the ocean liner Titan, which sinks in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg...
containing:- The wreck of the Titan
- The Pirates
- Beyond the Spectrum
- In the Valley of the Shadow
- Down to the Sea, published 1905, Harper and Brothers, containing:
- The Closing of the Circuit
- A Cow, Two Men, and a Parson
- The Rivals
- A Chemical Comedy
- A Hero Of The Cloth
- The Subconscious Finnegan
- The Torpedo
- The Submarine
- Fifty Fathoms Down
- The Enemies
- The Vitality of Dennis
- The Helix
- The Shark
- The Mutiny
- The Grain Ship, anthology published 1914, McKinley, Stone and Mackenzie, NY, containing:
- The Grain Ship
- From the Darkness and the Depths
- Noah's Ark
- The Finishing Touch
- The Rock
- The Argonauts
- The Married Man
- The Triple Alliance
- Shovels and Bricks
- Extracts from Noah's Logs
- Three Laws and the Golden Rule containing:
- The Three Laws and the Golden Rule
- The Americans
- Dignity
- The Honeymoon Ship
- The Third Mate
- Through the Deadlight
- The Hairy Devil
- The Slumber of a Soul
- Honor Among Thieves
- The Survival of the Fittest
- A Creature of Circumstance