It bought back memories of one book that I borrowed from the school library on several occasions in primary school - Future Cities: Homes & Living into the 21st Century. The book was published in 1979, but the book was still available in the 1990's. I loved it because of its predictions and even then believed that it was going to happen in time.
You can view some pages from that book by clicking here.
They predicted that the Olympic Games would be held this year on the moon. Wont be happening. Its just a battle for the United States to get man back to the moon by 2024.
It made me think - even though books like this are dated, it would be great if they could be republished. If a library still has copies of futurology titles I would try to avoid throwing them out if possible especially if they contain illustrations. There is a history behind futurology as well. Never in a million years while not a history about futurology, does dwelve into the past. People would love to know what past generations thought about how we may be living today.
I think in a school library, they would be good for two reasons:
- Recreational reading - People are curious about the future and would cater to fans of Science Fiction or may trigger an interest in Science Fiction.
- Allows students to engage with Science and Technology, especially if they are not interested in
Science. One aspect of Science that I liked was astronomy and futurology books were connected with space.
