Фред Хойл: October the First Is Too Late

Internationally famous as a scientist, Hoyle is remembered today as the foremost proponent of the steady­-state theory of the universe and for his pioneering work in the field of stellar nucleosynthesis. An extremely original thinker, Hoyle was not afraid to advance controversial ideas, many of which were later proved correct. In the 1950s, when his paper on interstellar molecules was rejected for publication, he rewrote his ideas as a novel, The Black Cloud (1957). This book was a popular success and has rarely been out of print in Great Brit­ain; its success paved the way for a number of other science fiction works, often co-authored by Hoyle with his son Geoffrey.

Several of Hoyle’s works, including Ossian’s Ride (1959), A for Andromeda (1962), Fifth Planet (1963), and October the First Is Too Late (1966), have gone on to be recognized as classics of the genre. Hoyle was also well known for his nonfiction writings, which aimed at making science accessible to popular audiences and young readers, and for his BBC radio broadcasts and television work. He died in 2001.

The Black Cloud (1957)

Fifth Planet (1963)

VALANCOURT BOOKS

October the First Is Too Late by Fred Hoyle

Originally published in Great Britain by Heinemann in 1966

First American edition published by Harper & Row in 1966

First Valancourt Books edition 2015

Copyright © 1966 by Fred Hoyle

Introduction © 2015 by John Howard

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Cover by Lorenzo Princi