Editing Last and First Men (section)

== Influences on other writers ==
[[Brian Aldiss]], in his preface to the 1962 edition, acknowledges the deep impression on him—and considerable influence on his own later writing—of Stapledon's book, which he encountered in 1943 while a British soldier fighting the Japanese in [[Burma]], "An appropriately unusual period of life at which to encounter a vision so far outside ordinary experience."

Aldiss also mentions [[James Blish]] as another writer deeply influenced by Stapledon.

[[C. S. Lewis]], in his own preface to ''[[That Hideous Strength]]'', notes: "I believe that one of the central ideas of this tale came into my head from conversations I had with a scientific colleague, some time before I met a rather similar suggestion in the works of Mr. Olaf Stapledon. If I am mistaken in this, Mr. Stapledon is so rich in invention that he can afford to lend, and I admire his invention (though not his philosophy) so much that I should feel no shame to borrow."

The reference to objecting to Stapledon's philosophy was no accident. In particular, Lewis objected to Stapledon's idea, as expressed in the present book, that mankind could escape from an outworn planet and establish itself on another one; this Lewis regarded as no less than a [[Satan]]ic idea {{Ndash}}especially, but not only, because it necessitated the [[genocide]] of the original inhabitants of the target planet. [[Professor Weston]], the chief villain of Lewis's ''[[The Space Trilogy|Space Trilogy]]'', is an outspoken proponent of this idea (much to his grief, however), and in ''[[Out of the Silent Planet]]'', Lewis opposes to it his depiction of the virtuous and [[stoicism|stoic]] [[Martians]]/Malacandrians who, even though they possess the technology to cross space and colonize Earth. choose to die with their dying planet.

[[Arthur C. Clarke]] has said of Stapledon's 1930 book ''Last and First Men'' that "No other book had a greater influence on my life&nbsp;... [It] and its successor ''[[Star Maker]]'' (1937) are the twin summits of [Stapledon's] literary career."<ref name="testermanscifi">{{cite web |url=http://www.testermanscifi.org/ClarkeQuotesPart2.html |title=Arthur C. Clarke Quotes |accessdate=8 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070123183810/http://www.testermanscifi.org/ClarkeQuotesPart2.html |archive-date=23 January 2007  }}</ref>

[[H. P. Lovecraft]] held the book in very high regard (though he did not say whether it influenced any of his own stories), saying in a 1936 letter to [[Fritz Leiber]]<ref>From a letter to Fritz Leiber on 18 November 1936. Published in ''Selected Letters V'' edited by August Derleth and James Turner, p. 357.</ref> "no one ought to miss reading W. Olaf Stapledon's ''Last and First Men''&nbsp;... Probably you ''have'' read it. If not, make a bee line for library or bookstall!", and in another 1936 letter to Leiber<ref>From a letter to Fritz Leiber on 19 December 1936. Published in ''Selected Letters V'' edited by August Derleth and James Turner, p. 375.</ref> "I'm glad to hear of your perusal of ''Last and First Men''—a volume which to my mind forms the greatest of all achievements in the field that [[Forrest J Ackerman|Master Ackerman]] would denominate 'scientifiction'. Its scope is dizzying—and despite a somewhat disproportionate acceleration of the tempo toward the end, and a few scientific inferences which might legitimately be challenged, it remains a thing of unparalleled power. As you say, it has the truly basic quality of a myth, and some of the episodes are of matchless poignancy and dramatic intensity." Finally, in a 1937 letter to Arthur Widner<ref>From a letter to Arthur Widner on 20 February 1937. Published in ''Selected Letters V'' edited by August Derleth and James Turner, p. 415.</ref> he said "I don't care for science fiction of the sort published in cheap magazines. There's no vitality in it—merely dry theories tacked on to shallow, unreal, insincere juvenile adventure stories. But I do like the few real masterpieces in the field—certain of [[H. G. Wells]]'s [[H. G. Wells bibliography|novels]], [[S. Fowler Wright]]'s ''[[The World Below]]'', & that marvellous piece of imagination by W. Olaf Stapledon, ''Last & First Men''."

[[John Maynard Smith]] has said "A man called Olaf Stapledon was a marvellous predictor who wrote science fiction books that I read when I was 16 and that completely blew my mind; and [[Arthur C. Clarke]] put his finger on quite a number of bright thoughts. He and I have something in common: we both took out of the public library the same science fiction book when we were boys of about 15 or 16, which was Stapledon's ''Last and First Men''. We took it out of the same country library in [[Porlock]] in Somerset. Whoever put that book on the shelves had a lot to answer for!"<ref>[[Adam Hart Davis]] (2004). ''Talking Science''. Wiley. {{ISBN|0-470-09302-1}}.</ref>

[[Sir Patrick Moore]] has said "The science fiction novel ''Last and First Men'' by Olaf Stapledon is immensely thought-provoking and I've read it time and time again."<ref name="timesonline">{{cite news |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article4122975.ece |title=Best science books |accessdate=6 September 2009 |work= The Times | location=London | date=12 June 2008}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>