Garrett Putnam Serviss (March 24, 1851 – May 25, 1929) was an American

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

, popularizer of

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

, and early

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

writer. Serviss was born in Sharon Springs,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and majored in science at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. He took a law degree at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

but never worked as an attorney. Instead, in 1876 he joined the staff of ''

The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...

'' newspaper, working as a journalist until 1892 under editor Charles Dana. Serviss showed a talent for explaining scientific details in a way that made them clear to the ordinary reader, leading

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

to invite him to deliver ''The Urania Lectures'' in 1894 on

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount (lexicographer), Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in ...

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

, and related matters. With Carnegie's financial backing, these lectures were illustrated with

magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lenses, and a light source. Because a sin ...

slides and other effects to show

eclipses An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...

, presumed lunar landscapes, and much else. Serviss toured the United States for over two years delivering these lectures, then settled down to become a popular

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

in the New York area. He also wrote a syndicated newspaper column devoted to astronomy and other sciences and wrote frequently for the leading magazines of the day. Serviss' favorite topic was astronomy, and of the fifteen books he wrote, eight are devoted to it. He unquestionably was more widely read by the public on that topic than anyone prior to his time. He worked with

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

and Dave Fleischer on ''

The Einstein Theory of Relativity ''The Einstein Theory of Relativity'' (1923) is a silent animated short film directed by Dave Fleischer and released by Fleischer Studios. History In August 1922, ''Scientific American'' published an article explaining their position that a s ...

'' (1923), a short

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

released in connection with one of Serviss' books. He also wrote six works of fiction in his lifetime, all of which would today be classified as science fiction. Five of these were novels, and one was a short story. In his private life, Serviss was an enthusiastic mountain climber. He described his reaching the summit of the Matterhorn at the age of 43 as part of an effort "to get as far away from terrestrial gravity as possible." His son was the Olympic high jumper Garrett Serviss. A quotation from Serviss' ''Astronomy with the Naked Eye'' (1908) appears at the end the short story

Beyond the Wall of Sleep "Beyond the Wall of Sleep" is a science fiction short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in 1919 and first published in the amateur publication ''Pine Cones'' in October 1919. Plot A former intern and a worker of a mental hos ...

(1919) written by H. P. Lovecraft.

Bibliography

;Scientific Popularizations * ''Astronomy with an Opera Glass'', 1888 * ''Pleasures of the Telescope'', 1901 * ''Other Worlds: Their Nature, Possibilities and Habitability in the Light of the Latest Discoveries'', 1901 * ''The Moon'', 1907 * ''Astronomy with the Naked Eye'', 1908 * ''Curiosities of the Sky'', 1909 * ''Round the Year with the Stars'', 1910 * ''Astronomy in a Nutshell'', 1912 * ''The Einstein Theory of Relativity'', 1923 ;Science Fiction * ''

Edison's Conquest of Mars ''Edison's Conquest of Mars'' is an 1898 science fiction novel by American astronomer and writer Garrett P. Serviss. It was written as a sequel to ''Fighters from Mars'', an unauthorized and heavily altered version of H. G. Wells's 1897 story '' ...

'', 1898 novel (written on commission from '' The Boston Post'' as a sequel to "

Fighters from Mars ''Fighters from Mars'' is the name of two unauthorized, edited versions of H. G. Wells' original ''The War of the Worlds'' serial. The first version appeared in the '' New York Evening Journal'' between December 5, 1897 and January 11, 1898, an ...

", an un-authorized and heavily altered version of

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

The War of the Worlds'') * "

The Moon Metal ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

", 1900 (short story) * ''

A Columbus of Space A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'', 1909 novel (dedicated to people who read

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

and written in his style; first published in '' All-Story Weekly'' magazine in 1909; republished by G. W. Dilligham in 1974, by Hyperion Press) * '' The Sky Pirate'', 1909 novel (published in serialized form; published in book form by Pulpville Press, 2018) * '' The Second Deluge'', 1911 novel * '' The Moon Maiden'', 1915 novel

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Serviss, Garrett P. 19th-century American novelists 20th-century American novelists American astronomers American male novelists American science writers American science fiction writers Cornell University alumni Columbia Law School alumni 1851 births 1929 deaths American male short story writers 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century American male writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers