New Atlantis

Author: Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon was a scientist to his fingertips, one of the very first to argue for the primacy of experiment, and so devoted to his own observations that he died after catching a cold during an experiment in refrigeration. All of this poured out in a sequence of major books that were the foundation of 17th century science. One book unfinished at the time of his death was a utopia in which science held the reins. The remote island of New Atlantis is governed by a school of science known as Saloman's House, a place of such advanced ideas that they already have versions of a microscope, submarine and aircraft, inventions that would occur in real life for decades or even longer. And because everything is conducted on scientific principles, society is, of course, perfect. Why it's on the list: There are works of fiction that have an effect on the real world, and this is undoubtedly one of them. It was on the model of Bacon's Saloman's House that John Wilkins and his followers created the Royal Society after the Restoration of Charles II. On the literary side, of course, New Atlantis is still recognised as one of the two or three major works of utopian fiction.