Tarrano the Conqueror

In a tale of the year 2430 A. D. - a time somewhat farther beyond our present-day era than we are beyond Columbus' discovery of America. My desire has been to create for you the impression that you have suddenly been plunged forward into that time - to give you the feeling Columbus might have had could he have read a novel of our present-day life. To this end I have conceived myself a writer of that future time, addressing his contemporary public. You are to imagine yourself reading a present day translation of my original text - a translation so free that a thousand little colloquialisms will have crept into it that could not possibly have their counterparts in the year 2430.