(Found) Posthumous book from the 1990's

[Puddy1]

I remember buying a posthumous book in the 90's (could be the 80's) that I thought was an H. G. Wells book of predictions that was found in a bank vault, or something like that. I could've sworn it was Wells, but now I'm not so sure. I all remember for sure is that it was posthumous. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

 

[Pete_100]

Jules Verne, Paris In The Twentieth Century.

Paris in the Twentieth Century (French: Paris au XXe siècle) is a science fiction novel by Jules Verne. The book presents Paris in August 1960, 97 years in Verne's future, where society places value only on business and technology.
Written in 1863 but first published 131 years later (1994), the novel follows a young man who struggles unsuccessfully to live in a technologically advanced, but culturally backwards world.

Publication deferred
Jules Verne's publisher, Pierre-Jules Hetzel, thought the book's pessimism would damage Verne's then-booming career, and suggested that he wait 20 years to publish it. In a scathing rebuke to Verne, Hetzel writes about a draft of the novel he has just seen:
"I was not expecting perfection — to repeat, I knew that you were attempting the impossible — but I was hoping for something better."
Hetzel was also critical of Verne for not covering new ground with the novel:
"In this piece, there is not a single issue concerning the real future that is properly resolved, no critique that hasn't already been made and remade before. I am surprised at you ... [it is] lacklustre and lifeless."
With that, Verne put the manuscript in a safe where it was forgotten, only to be discovered by his great-grandson in 1989. The original French version was finally published in 1994, and an English translation by Richard Howard was published by Random House in 1996.

 

[Puddy1]

Jules Verne, Paris In The Twentieth Century.

Thank You! That was beginning to drive me nuts! Now I can go find it again!

 

[PaulMmn]

Robert Heinlein left 8 pages of notes behind that Spider Robinson turned into a posthumous novel.

Variable Star is the posthumous "collaboration" between Heinlein and veteran SF writer Spider Robinson (based on about eight pages of notes from Heinlein's archive).

 

[JimC]

Spider got a lot of undeserved grief over that novel from supposed Henlein fans.
I liked it for four reasons
1) Spider didn't try to emulate Robert's writing style.
2) it was a good story
3) Spider named one of the characters after the Heinleins' foster granddaughter Dr. Amy Baxter and her husband Dr. Louis Calderon.
4) It mentions me (oops, should I have said that?....)

 

[tinkerdan]

There are so many people mentioned in the Afterward

4) It mentions me (oops, should I have said that?....)

I'm sure you'll go unnoticed.
Not to worry.

Besides we are sworn to silence.

Which page did you say that's on. My copy is right here by my side.

 

[JimC]

I don't know. My copy is pre-publication. No cover art, etc. I've never seen a post-publication copy and don't know if the page count is the same. From memory, it was at the end of the book (I haven't looked at the book since I first read it, so my memory is foggy).

 

[tinkerdan]

Rhetorical Question.
rečnícka otázka

To give a scope of the task involved.
I can easily count at least 80 people mentioned in the Afterword.

I have the hardbound edition.
One of the few books I pre-ordered.