12 The reference is to the Gibbet of Montfaucon, the gallows and gibbet of the French kings prior to Louis XIII—a favorite symbolic motif of French historical novelists of the nineteenth century.
13 The Marquise de Brinvilliers (1630-1676) was convicted of conspiracy to murder her father, on very poor evidence, and was widely rumored to have poisoned other people, on the basis of no evidence at all. Her conviction launched a scandal in which several other people were charged with poisoning and witchcraft, in the absence on any evidence whatsoever. Naturally, she became famous and is featured in numerous literary works based on fanciful renditions of her legend.
14 Franz Gall (1758-1828) and Johann Lavater (1740-1801), the pioneers of physiognomy and what later became known as phrenology.
15 Louis Alibaud (1810-1836) was a soldier guillotined for attempting to assassinate Louis-Philippe, and was hailed by radicals as a martyr.
16 Claude Montcharmont (1822-1851) became famous as the “poacher of Morvan” when his execution for two murders was initially botched and had to be rearranged, briefly becoming the focus of protests against the death penalty by Victor Hugo and others.
17 Grimalkin, or Graymalkin, is an old English name for a cat, apparently first featured in print in William Baldwin’s prose narrative Beware the Cat (1570), from which the person who wrote the witch scene in the printed version of Macbeth (published 1623) presumably borrowed it; because of that usage it became a common appellation for a witch’s familiar demon.
18 Author’s note: “The author coincides here with a recently-published ironic article. Between the two images there is, however, the essential difference—not to mention others—that one represents the mania for numbers as a monarchic excess, whereas, on the contrary, it is one of the ridiculous tendencies that are appropriate to popular regimes and is beginning to carry away certain Republican States; thus, in New York, the streets to not have names, but bear numbers.”
19 The fact that Graymalkin does not say sixteen might well be attributable to diabolical arithmetic.
20 The Egyptian king Ptolemy XII Auletes (117-51 B.C.), the father of Cleopatra VII (the famous one).
21 The National Archeological Museum of Naples contained in 1868, as it still does, large numbers of objects excavated from the ruins of Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum, which shocked people at the time of their disinterment because of the frequency and flagrancy of their sexual imagery; similar objects presumably in use in all the other cities of the Roman Empire had presumably been “censored” the centuries as standards of decency had shifted.
22 Author’s note (advertised as “Note by the Editor”): “The advertisement is reproduced almost word for word from a newspaper published in the United States.”
23 The author adds another note here claiming that this is a reflection of the contemporary political mores of the United States.
24 When the present story was published, work in the Suez Canal was not yet complete; it was only opened in November 1969.
25 Paulino Soares de Sousa, 1st Viscount of Uruguai (1808-1866).
26 The citation is inaccurate, presumably intending to refer to the passage “Dedimus profecto grande patientiae dctumentum….” [Certainly, we showed a magnificent example of patience (as a former age had witnessed the extreme of liberty, so we witnessed the extreme of servitude).]”
27 The next page of the text is missing from the available version. It might not contain any text at all, but if it does, the missing passage cannot amount to more than two hundred words, and might well be considerably less. The remainder of the published volume consists of a series of reprinted documents supposedly given to the narrator by the old man to illustrate and support the claims he has made about the reign of Napoléon III.
28 Les Soirées de Médan (1880) was a showcase anthology of writers connected with the Naturalist Movement. Émile Zola had moved out of Paris to Médan, and hosted a limited salon there, mostly consisting of writers who used to dine with him in Paris.
29 François de Négrier (1839-1913) distinguished himself in several colonial campaigns, including the Tonkin campaign of 1884-5. Francis Magnard (1837-1894) was editor-in-chief of Le Figaro until his death. Maurice Le Sage d’Hauteroche d’Hulst (1841-1896) founded the Catholic University in Paris and served as its rector from 1880 until his death.
30 Antoine Favre d’Olivet (1767-1825) was a historian and linguist whose interest in and translation of neo-Pythagorean writings made them available to grateful nineteenth-century occultists, but also made significant contributions to Biblical hermeneutics and produced an unorthodox interpretation of Genesis, some of whose elements are echoed in the author’s invented catechism.
31 Trissotin is a character in Molière’s Les Femmes savantes (1672), a satire on academic pretention and female education; the reference is malicious.
32 Following the syncrectic policy of this catechism, jod (the Hebrew-derived Cabalistic term for the phallus) and kteis (the Greek-derived Gnostic term for the vagina), are drawn from different and perhaps incompatible sources; whether that deliberate disjunction is significant, and, if so, of what, is for the reader to decide.
33 General Ramón Blanco (1833-1906) was Governor-General of the Philippines from 1893-96. Although his approach in confrontation with the independence movement was generally conciliatory he placed eight provinces, including Cavite, under martial law. Repression, including the use of torture, gradually intensified even before Blanco was sacked for being too soft. At the time the present novel was published he was Captain-General of Cuba, where he introduced “reconcentration camps” and helped to provoke the Spanish-American War, which he then prolonged by his refusal to surrender.
34 Valeriano Weyler (1838-1930), replaced by Blanco as Governor-General of the Philippines and, subsequently, as Captain-General of Cuba.
35 The name Pandjavana does not appear to exist outside the present text, but the intended reference might be to the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah in 636, between an Arab army and a Persian army, in which elephants were employed; it resulted in the conquest of Persia during the Muslim Expansion.
36 The chemist Justus Liebig (1803-1873) founded a company to manufacture meat extract products; the one sold in the form of cubes was subsequently brand-named Oxo.
FRENCH SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY COLLECTION
105 Adolphe Ahaiza. Cybele
102 Alphonse Allais. The Adventures of Captain Cap
02 Henri Allorge. The Great Cataclysm
14 G.-J. Arnaud. The Ice Company
152 André Arnyvelde. The Ark
153 André Arnyvelde. The Mutilated Bacchus
61 Charles Asselineau. The Double Life
118 Henri Austruy. The Eupantophone
119 Henri Austry. The Petitpaon Era
120 Henri Austry. The Olotelepan
130 Barillet-Lagargousse. The Final War
103 S. Henry Berthoud. Martyrs of Science
23 Richard Bessière. The Gardens of the Apocalypse
121 Richard Bessière. The Masters of Silence
148 Béthune (Chevalier de). The World of Mercury
26 Albert Bleunard. Ever Smaller
06 Félix Bodin. The Novel of the Future
92 Louis Boussenard. Monsieur Synthesis
39 Alphonse Brown. City of Glass
89 Alphonse Brown. The Conquest of the Air
98 Emile Calvet. In A Thousand Years
40 Félicien Champsaur. The Human Arrow
81 Félicien Champsaur. Ouha, King of the Apes
91. Félicien Champsaur. The Pharaoh’s Wife
133 Félicien Champsaur. Homo-Deus
143 Félicien Champsaur. Nora, The Ape-Woman
03 Didier de Chousy. Ignis
166 Jacques Collin de Plancy. Voyage to the Center of the Earth
97 Michel Corday. The Eternal Flame
113 André Couvreur. The Necessary Evil
114 André Couvreur. Caresco, Superman
115 André Couvreur. The
Exploits of Professor Tornada (Vol. 1)
116 André Couvreur. The Exploits of Professor Tornada (Vol. 2)
117 André Couvreur. The Exploits of Professor Tornada (Vol. 3)
67 Captain Danrit. Undersea Odyssey
149 Camille Debans. The Misfortunes of John Bull
17 C. I. Defontenay. Star (Psi Cassiopeia)
05 Charles Derennes. The People of the Pole
68 Georges T. Dodds. The Missing Link and Other Tales of Ape-Men
125 Charles Dodeman. The Silent Bomb
49 Alfred Driou. The Adventures of a Parisian Aeronaut
144 Odette Dulac. The War of the Sexes
145 Renée Dunan. The Ultimate Pleasure
10 Henri Duvernois. The Man Who Found Himself
08 Achille Eyraud. Voyage to Venus
01 Henri Falk. The Age of Lead
51 Charles de Fieux. Lamékis
108 Louis Forest. Someone Is Stealing Children In Paris
31 Arnould Galopin. Doctor Omega
70 Arnould Galopin. Doctor Omega & The Shadowmen
112 H. Gayar. The Marvelous Adventures of Serge Myrandhal on Mars
88 Judith Gautier. Isoline and the Serpent-Flower
163 Raoul Gineste. The Second Life of Dr. Albin
136 Delphine de Girardin. Balzac’s Cane
146 Jules Gros. The Fossil Man
57 Edmond Haraucourt. Illusions of Immortality
134 Edmond Haraucourt. Daah, the First Human
24 Nathalie Henneberg. The Green Gods
131 Eugene Hennebert. The Enchanted City
137 P.-J. Hérault. The Clone Rebellion
150 Jules Hoche. The Maker of Men and his Formula
140 P. d’Ivoi & H. Chabrillat. Around the World on Five Sous
107 Jules Janin. The Magnetized Corpse
29 Michel Jeury. Chronolysis [NO LONGER AVAILABLE]
55 Gustave Kahn. The Tale of Gold and Silence
30 Gérard Klein. The Mote in Time’s Eye
90 Fernand Kolney. Love in 5000 Years
87 Louis-Guillaume de La Follie. The Unpretentious Philosopher
101 Jean de La Hire. The Fiery Wheel
50 André Laurie. Spiridon
52 Gabriel de Lautrec. The Vengeance of the Oval Portrait
82 Alain Le Drimeur. The Future City
27-28 Georges Le Faure & Henri de Graffigny. The Extraordinary Adventures of a Russian Scientist Across the Solar System (2 vols.)
07 Jules Lermina. Mysteryville
25 Jules Lermina. Panic in Paris
32 Jules Lermina. The Secret of Zippelius
66 Jules Lermina. To-Ho and the Gold Destroyers
127 Jules Lermina. The Battle of Strasbourg
15 Gustave Le Rouge. The Vampires of Mars
73 Gustave Le Rouge. The Plutocratic Plot
74 Gustave Le Rouge. The Transatlantic Threat
75 Gustave Le Rouge. The Psychic Spies
76 Gustave Le Rouge. The Victims Victorious
109-110-111 Gustave Le Rouge. The Mysterious Doctor Cornelius
96 André Lichtenberger. The Centaurs
99 André Lichtenberger. The Children of the Crab
135 Listonai. The Philosophical Voyager
157 Ch. Lomon & P.-B. Gheusi. The Last Days of Atlantis
167 Camille Mauclair. The Virgin Orient
72 Xavier Mauméjean. The League of Heroes
78 Joseph Méry. The Tower of Destiny
77 Hippolyte Mettais. The Year 5865
128 Hyppolite Mettais. Paris Before the Deluge
83 Louise Michel. The Human Microbes
84 Louise Michel. The New World
93 Tony Moilin. Paris in the Year 2000
11 José Moselli. Illa’s End
38 John-Antoine Nau. Enemy Force
156 Charles Nodier. Trilby * The Crumb Fairy
04 Henri de Parville. An Inhabitant of the Planet Mars
21 Gaston de Pawlowski. Journey to the Land of the Fourth Dimension
56 Georges Pellerin. The World in 2000 Years
79 Pierre Pelot. The Child Who Walked On The Sky
85 Ernest Perochon. The Frenetic People
161 Jean Petithuguenin. An International Mission to the Moon
141. Georges Price. The Missing Men of the Sirius
165 René Pujol. The Chimerical Quest
100 Edgar Quinet. Ahasuerus
123 Edgar Quinet. The Enchanter Merlin
60 Henri de Régnier. A Surfeit of Mirrors
33 Maurice Renard. The Blue Peril
34 Maurice Renard. Doctor Lerne
35 Maurice Renard. The Doctored Man
36 Maurice Renard. A Man Among the Microbes
37 Maurice Renard. The Master of Light
41 Jean Richepin. The Wing
12 Albert Robida. The Clock of the Centuries
62 Albert Robida. Chalet in the Sky
69 Albert Robida. The Adventures of Saturnin Farandoul
95 Albert Robida. The Electric Life
151 Albert Robida. Engineer Von Satanas
46 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. The Givreuse Enigma
45 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. The Mysterious Force
43 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. The Navigators of Space
48 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. Vamireh
44 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. The World of the Variants
47 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. The Young Vampire
71 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. Helgvor of the Blue River
24 Marcel Rouff. Journey to the Inverted World
158 Marie-Anne de Roumier-Robert. The Voyages of Lord Seaton to the Seven Planets
132 Léonie Rouzade. The World Turned Upside Down
09 Han Ryner. The Superhumans
124 Han Ryner. The Human Ant
122 Pierre de Selenes. An Unknown World
19 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 1. News from the Moon
20 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 2. The Germans on Venus
63 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 3. The Supreme Progress
64 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 4. The World Above the World
65 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 5. Nemoville
80 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 6. Investigations of the Future
106 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 7. The Conqueror of Death
129 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 8. The Revolt of the Machines
142 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 9. The Man with the Blue Face
155 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 10. The Aerial Valley
159 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 11. The New Moon
160 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 12. The Nickel Man
162 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 13. On the Brink of the World’s End
164 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 14. The Mirror of Present Events
168 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 15. The Humanisphere
42 Jacques Spitz. The Eye of Purgatory
13 Kurt Steiner. Ortog
18 Eugène Thébault. Radio-Terror
58 C.-F. Tiphaigne de La Roche. Amilec
138 Simon Tyssot de Patot. Voyages and Adventures of Jacques de Massé
104 Louis Ulbach. Prince Bonifacio
53 Théo Varlet. The Xenobiotic Invasion (w/Octave Joncquel)
16 Théo Varlet. The Martian Epic; (w/André Blandin)
59 Théo Varlet. Timeslip Troopers
86 Théo Varlet. The Golden Rock
94 Théo Varlet. The Castaways of Eros
139 Pierre Véron. The Merchants of Health
54 Paul Vibert. The Mysterious Fluid
147 Gaston de Wailly. The Murderer of the World
English adaptation and introduction Copyright © 2016 by Brian Stableford.
Cover illustration Copyright © 2016 Jean-Félix Lyon.
Visit our website at www.blackcoatpress.com
ISBN 978-1-61227-511-6. First Printing. May 2016. Published by Black Coat Press, an imprint of Hollywood Comics.com, LLC, P.O. Box 17270, Encino, CA 91416. All rights reserved. Except for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, e
lectronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The stories and characters depicted in this novel are entirely fictional. Printed in the United States of America.
The Humanisphere Page 38
