In this room, which is dedicated to the origins of the Modern Fantastic in literature, you can find a collection of first edition books, illustrations, magazines and documents, the origins of Science fiction, the so-called proto-science fiction, from the first half of the 19th century up to the first half of the ‘900.
The exhibition begins with the Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, followed by the classical authors – H. G. Wells and Jules Verne and their less known contemporaries, such as Albert Robida, and finally comes to the Italian proto-science fiction with Emilio Salgari, Ulisse Grifoni, Jambo, Luigi Motta and Calogero Ciancimino.
There you will see the first Italian Science fiction magazines from the 1950s (Scienza Fantastica/Fantastic Science, Mondi Nuovi/New Worlds, Mondi astrali/Astral Worlds, Galassia/Galaxy, I narratori dell’Alpha Tau/The Narrators of the Alpha Tau, Cronache del future/Chronicles of the Future) and the very first issues of the Urania and the Urania Magazine.
Scienza Fantastica rivista
Explanatory panels are provided by Riccardo Valla and Piero Gondolo della Riva.
