This anthology collects stories belonging, at least approximately, to the genre of scientific fiction, which were published in various periodicals between 1886 and 1938. Many of them were never reprinted in book form.
The early stories--which are arranged in the chronological order of their publication--were produced in an era of relative optimism with regard to scientific advancement, when the rewards of scientific research were widely seen as a cornucopia; but even where that notion is explicit within the stories, it is generally fitted with a compulsory irony.
Attitudes changed because of the legacy of the Great War, which considerably eroded confidence in the future and provided a graphic illustration of the fact that technological advancement favored the power to destroy as well as the ability to construct.
Some of the notions deployed in those experimental ventures subsequently became clichés, but were not at the time of their publication, and deserve credit for their pioneering spirit, as well as their fast pace and easy readability.