Erewhon

Erewhon, or Over the Range is a novel by Samuel Butler, published anonymously in 1872. The title is also the name of a country, supposedly discovered by the protagonist. In the novel, it is not revealed in which part of the world Erewhon is, but it is clear that it is a fictional country. Butler meant the title to be read as the word Nowhere backwards, even though the letters "h" and "w" are transposed. It is likely that he did this to protect himself from accusations of being unpatriotic, although Erewhon is obviously a satire of Victorian society. (summary from Wikipedia) (8 hr 0 min)

Chapters

Preface	12:55	Read by calystra
Waste Lands	11:45	Read by calystra
In the Wool-Shed	8:30	Read by calystra
Up the River	10:24	Read by calystra
The Saddle	15:33	Read by calystra
The River and the Range	14:43	Read by calystra
Into Erewhon	15:30	Read by calystra
First Impressions	13:16	Read by calystra
In Prison	15:17	Read by calystra
To the Metropolis	19:43	Read by calystra
Current Opinions	19:21	Read by James Christopher
Some Erowhonian Trials	14:32	Read by Zloot
Malcontents	18:35	Read by Roger Melin
The Views of the Erowhonians Concerning Death	17:31	Read by Ernst Pattynama
Mahaina	8:49	Read by Zloot
The Musical Banks	27:19	Read by Grant Petersen
Arowhena	16:35	Read by Zloot
Ydgrun and the Ydgrunites	14:22	Read by Zloot
Birth Formulae	11:54	Read by Ernst Pattynama
The World of the Unborn	16:01	Read by Zloot
What They Mean by It	17:35	Read by Hannah Dowell
The Colleges of Unreason	17:15	Read by Zloot
The Colleges of Unreason - Continued	20:34	Read by Zloot
The Book of the Machines	12:13	Read by Scott Carpenter
The Machines - Continued	17:08	Read by Scott Carpenter
The Machines - Concluded	23:46	Read by Scott Carpenter
The Views of an Erewhonian Prophet Concerning the Rights of Animals	16:03	Read by Laura Davis
The Views of an Erewhonian Philosopher Concerning the Rights of Vegetables	16:48	Read by Laura Davis
Escape	20:33	Read by Laura Davis
Conclusion	15:37	Read by Laura Davis

Reviews

a really good book

(5 stars)

adam

A very interesting tale about a civilization that punishes physical illness but sympathizes with and seeks to correct mental and moral illnesses. It’s an interesting adventure in itself and a commentary on the stigmas still very much active in our time. There is also a very prescient discussion about technology, which I’m sure the author could not have imagined how on point he would be in the present era. Lastly, Michio Kushi, a great man and believer in natural living and robust health, named his company after the title. Could there be something idillic in this lost land?

Utter twaddle!

(2 stars)

Paul Busman

The beliefs and practices of the Erewhonians are totally ludicrous, even for what passes as a satiricle novel. After a while, I dipped into each chapter a bit, then moved on to the next. I was glad to reach the end. Hey, you might like it but I didn't.