The Dream of X

The Dream of X is a novella by English writer William Hope Hodgson, an abridged version of his 1912 science fiction novel The Night Land.

The Dream of X

Dust-jacket from the first edition
Author	William Hope Hodgson
Illustrator	Stephen E. Fabian
Cover artist	Stephen E. Fabian
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc.
Publication date	1912 (in Poems and the Dream of X) 1977 (stand-alone book)
Media type	Print (hardback)
Pages	141
OCLC	3169834

The abridgment was originally published as part of the chapbook collection Poems and the Dream of X in 1912 by R. Harold Paget.

It was first published as a stand-alone book in 1977 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. with an introduction by Sam Moskowitz. It was published in an edition of 2,220 copies.

Securing copyright for The Night Land

Hodgson's novel The Night Land was published in England in 1912. At that time, copyright in the United States could not be obtained until the book was printed within the US. Hodgson was unable to find an American publisher for his 200,000-word novel. In order to ensure the copyright, he revised and abridged the novel, condensing it to 20,000 words. He then financed the printing himself through publisher R. Harold Paget, securing the US copyright.

Sources

• Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd. p. 324.
• Clute, John; John Grant (1997). The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 471. ISBN 0-88184-708-9.
• Moskowitz, Sam (1977). "Return to the Night Land; An Introduction". The Dream of X. West Kingston, Rhode Island: Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. pp. 9–12. OCLC 3169834.
• Tuck, Donald H. (1974). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Chicago: Advent. p. 225. ISBN 0-911682-20-1.