by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer
1932, 1933
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When I was a pupil and 11 years old, one of my friends gave me a novel.
Its title was "THE LAST DAY OF THE EARTH". Its story was... Two planets are coming from the universe to the solar system. They were named "Bronson-Alpha" and "Bronson-Beta" after finder. Bronson-Alpha is going to collide the earth two years later. What people have to do? It was so interesting story to me. But its details had been rewritten for children. In the summer of 1998, a movie "Deep Impact" was opened to the public in Japan. And its original work "WHEN WORLD COLLIDE" was translated to Japanese. I knew it was the original version of "THE LAST DAY OF THE EARTH". So I bought it. Its details was a little different from "THE LAST DAY OF THE EARTH". But it was also interesting for me. Me, has become an adult. Though "WHEN WORLD COLLIDE" was written in 1933, I never felt it old. Of course, there are some part in this story which is different from the present day. For example, the fastest way to go to New York from Cape Town in this story is... First, you have to go to Paris by airplane (mono-cockpit!). And then, take a high-speed liner from Paris to New York. But studies (biological, astronomy, sociology, science technology, or so on) written in this story are so detailed and correct. They bear comparison with today. Well, if world will collide in real, what will you do? |
