This anthology revives two classic science fiction stories from the 19th century. The first tale, "The Moon Hoax," is inspired by the actual fabrication that took place in 1835. Detailing a series of six articles that were published in the New York Sun regarding the supposed discovery of life and even civilization on the Moon, this fascinating tale defines the power of myth, depicting how the newspaper’s readers were held in thrall for five days by the fanciful claims falsely attributed to famed astronomer Sir John Herschel. The second narrative, "The Unparalleled Adventures of One Hans Pfaall," penned by legendary author Edgar Allan Poe, marks the first attempt in literature to describe a space flight with scientific plausibility.

Richard Adams Locke was a former journalist for the New York Sun and the alleged perpetrator of the actual "Great Moon Hoax." Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. He was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre.

Robert Godwin is the space curator at the Canadian Air and Space Museum and an advocate of the Space Frontier Foundation. He is the author of Apollo 11, The Illustrated Collector’s Guide to Led Zeppelin, and The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook. He lives in Burlington, Ontario.