First Lensman
Encyclopedia
First Lensman is a science fiction
novel and space opera
by author Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.
. It was first published in 1950
by Fantasy Press
in an edition of 5,995 copies. Although it is the second novel in the Lensman series, it was the last written. The novel chronicles the founding of the Galactic Patrol
by Virgil Samms, the first sentient being in our cosmos
to wear the "Lens", a unique badge of authority which is actually a form of "pseudo-life" and grants telepathic
powers to the defenders of civilization.
left off. The story follows the doings of the "First Lensman" Virgil Samms. The Arisians know that he is literally incorruptible and is a paragon of bravery and virtue, so they have chosen him to be the first entity to wear the "Lens of Civilization".
Virgil Samms has a dream. He wants to establish the Galactic Patrol
to protect civilization from the forces of evil. He needs to have a symbol for the incorruptible men he wants to be in his Patrol. Finally, he is guided by the intuition of one of his trusted subordinates (actually an Arisian living as a human being) to Arisia, a heretofore unapproachable planet where he is greeted by a benevolent and telepathic Arisian who presents him a Lens. The Lens is a device that can only be made by the Arisians using their advanced mental science and that can be worn only by the person that it is exclusively attuned to. It gives its wearer the ability to communicate telepathically with any being or animal with a mind, as well as other powers. The Lens is the focus of all the remaining stories in the series. Samms is charged with locating all "Lens worthy" individuals and directing them to Arisia to have their own Lens bestowed upon them. The Arisian further states that women aren't psychologically able to wear a Lens.
Once he has a cadre of Lensmen available to defend civilization, Samms uses them to begin tracing leads to the major threats to civilization. Crooked politics, illegal drugs, and pirates attacking merchant ships in space. To fight the crooked politics all they can do for the moment is gather evidence and hold it until the campaign and elections which are covered later in the story. The leads to the pirates hit a blank wall and stall (for now). The leads followed to combat the drug traffickers yield the most success. Breaking the drug smuggling turns out to be the key to getting a handle on all the other threats. As the Lensmen trace the trade in "thionite", a mind altering drug, from the beginning to the "end user", they find the different leads all coming together, and all leading straight to the corrupt political machine that was then running North America, and trying to get a strangle hold on all the rest of civilization.
While following the leads, the Lensmen visit alien planets and encounter bizarre life forms (and attempt to recruit representative members of as many species as possible as Lensmen), build a fleet by uniting all the continental fleets of Tellus (Earth) into the “Grand Fleet of the Galactic Patrol”, and engage in a satisfyingly massive space battle in defense of their headquarters, “The Hill”. By this time the upper levels of the Patrol are just starting to play with the idea that maybe the beings that have been calling “pirates” are actually members of another civilization, a civilization at least as big and as powerful as the civilization of the Galactic Patrol. Having beaten off the “pirate” fleet attacking The Hill, traced the drug smuggling from source to user, it was time to cut off the head of the dragon by defeating the corrupt political machine in the next election.
The second half of the book tells of a North American presidential election (Canada, the US and Mexico together form a single nation) fought by the officers of the Triplanetary Service (as 'Cosmocrats') on the right to elect Roderick Kinnison North American President, and the crooked political machine on the left (as 'Nationalist') to keep the corrupt incumbent in office. After a knock down, drag out fight between the two parties, another battle in space even bigger than the first one, and the release of all the evidence of corruption gathered and held on to before, the Cosmocrats win the crucial election that ensures the continuation of the Galactic Patrol and the safety of Civilization (for now).
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel and space opera
Space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
by author Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.
E. E. Smith
Edward Elmer Smith, Ph.D., also, E. E. Smith, E. E. "Doc" Smith, Doc Smith, "Skylark" Smith, and Ted was a food engineer and early science fiction author who wrote the Lensman series and the Skylark series, among others...
. It was first published in 1950
1950 in literature
The year 1950 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Kazuo Shimada wins the "Mystery Writer Of Japan" award for his book Shakai-bu Kisha .*Jack Kerouac has his first novel published....
by Fantasy Press
Fantasy Press
Fantasy Press was an American publishing house specialising in fantasy and science fiction titles. Established in 1946 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach in Reading, Pennsylvania, it was most notable for publishing the works of authors such as Robert A. Heinlein and E. E. Smith...
in an edition of 5,995 copies. Although it is the second novel in the Lensman series, it was the last written. The novel chronicles the founding of the Galactic Patrol
Galactic Patrol
The Galactic Patrol was an intergalactic organization in the Lensman science fiction series written by E. E. Smith. It was also the title of the third book in the series.-Overview:...
by Virgil Samms, the first sentient being in our cosmos
Cosmos
In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
to wear the "Lens", a unique badge of authority which is actually a form of "pseudo-life" and grants telepathic
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
powers to the defenders of civilization.
Plot synopsis
First Lensman picks up more or less where TriplanetaryTriplanetary (novel)
Triplanetary is a science fiction novel and space opera by E. E. Smith. It was first serialized in the magazine Amazing Stories in 1934. After the Lensman series was published, Smith expanded and reworked the novel into the first of two Lensman prequels...
left off. The story follows the doings of the "First Lensman" Virgil Samms. The Arisians know that he is literally incorruptible and is a paragon of bravery and virtue, so they have chosen him to be the first entity to wear the "Lens of Civilization".
Virgil Samms has a dream. He wants to establish the Galactic Patrol
Galactic Patrol
The Galactic Patrol was an intergalactic organization in the Lensman science fiction series written by E. E. Smith. It was also the title of the third book in the series.-Overview:...
to protect civilization from the forces of evil. He needs to have a symbol for the incorruptible men he wants to be in his Patrol. Finally, he is guided by the intuition of one of his trusted subordinates (actually an Arisian living as a human being) to Arisia, a heretofore unapproachable planet where he is greeted by a benevolent and telepathic Arisian who presents him a Lens. The Lens is a device that can only be made by the Arisians using their advanced mental science and that can be worn only by the person that it is exclusively attuned to. It gives its wearer the ability to communicate telepathically with any being or animal with a mind, as well as other powers. The Lens is the focus of all the remaining stories in the series. Samms is charged with locating all "Lens worthy" individuals and directing them to Arisia to have their own Lens bestowed upon them. The Arisian further states that women aren't psychologically able to wear a Lens.
Once he has a cadre of Lensmen available to defend civilization, Samms uses them to begin tracing leads to the major threats to civilization. Crooked politics, illegal drugs, and pirates attacking merchant ships in space. To fight the crooked politics all they can do for the moment is gather evidence and hold it until the campaign and elections which are covered later in the story. The leads to the pirates hit a blank wall and stall (for now). The leads followed to combat the drug traffickers yield the most success. Breaking the drug smuggling turns out to be the key to getting a handle on all the other threats. As the Lensmen trace the trade in "thionite", a mind altering drug, from the beginning to the "end user", they find the different leads all coming together, and all leading straight to the corrupt political machine that was then running North America, and trying to get a strangle hold on all the rest of civilization.
While following the leads, the Lensmen visit alien planets and encounter bizarre life forms (and attempt to recruit representative members of as many species as possible as Lensmen), build a fleet by uniting all the continental fleets of Tellus (Earth) into the “Grand Fleet of the Galactic Patrol”, and engage in a satisfyingly massive space battle in defense of their headquarters, “The Hill”. By this time the upper levels of the Patrol are just starting to play with the idea that maybe the beings that have been calling “pirates” are actually members of another civilization, a civilization at least as big and as powerful as the civilization of the Galactic Patrol. Having beaten off the “pirate” fleet attacking The Hill, traced the drug smuggling from source to user, it was time to cut off the head of the dragon by defeating the corrupt political machine in the next election.
The second half of the book tells of a North American presidential election (Canada, the US and Mexico together form a single nation) fought by the officers of the Triplanetary Service (as 'Cosmocrats') on the right to elect Roderick Kinnison North American President, and the crooked political machine on the left (as 'Nationalist') to keep the corrupt incumbent in office. After a knock down, drag out fight between the two parties, another battle in space even bigger than the first one, and the release of all the evidence of corruption gathered and held on to before, the Cosmocrats win the crucial election that ensures the continuation of the Galactic Patrol and the safety of Civilization (for now).
Publication history
- 1950, USA, Fantasy PressFantasy PressFantasy Press was an American publishing house specialising in fantasy and science fiction titles. Established in 1946 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach in Reading, Pennsylvania, it was most notable for publishing the works of authors such as Robert A. Heinlein and E. E. Smith...
, Pub date 1950, Hardback - 1955, UK, Boardman BooksBoardman BooksFounded by Thomas Volney Boardman in the 1930s, T.V. Boardman, Ltd. , was but one of many London publishing houses turning out both paperback and hardcover books, pulp magazines, and comics. Boardman Books is best known for publishing the long-running monthly series of hardcover Bloodhound...
, Pub date 1955 Hardback - 1961, Germany, Zimmermann, Pub Date 1961, Hardback, as Die ersten Lensmen
- 1964, USA, Pyramid BooksPyramid BooksJove Books, formerly Pyramid Books, is a paperback publishing company, founded in 1949 by Almat Magazine Publishers . The company was sold to the Walter Reade Organization in the late 1960s. It was acquired in 1974 by Harcourt Brace which renamed it to Jove in 1977 and continued the line as an...
, Pub date 1964, Paperback - 1997, UK, Ripping Publishing ISBN 1-899884-13-0, Pub date July 1997, Paperback
- 1997, USA, Old Earth Books ISBN 1-882968-10-7, Pub date November 1997, Paperback