Edward Bellamy (1850-1898) wrote one of the most influential novels in American history. His utopian novel Looking Backward: 2000-1887 , published in 1888, sold over a million copies, inspired the formation of more than 160 "Bellamy Clubs" across the country, and shaped political discourse for decades. Only Uncle Tom's Cabin and Ben-Hur outsold it in 19th-century America.
Bellamy was born in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, the son of a Baptist minister. He studied law and was admitted to the bar but never practiced. Instead, he turned to journalism and fiction writing, working as an editorial writer for the New York Evening Post and the Springfield Union .
His early fiction showed little hint of the political vision that would make him famous. He published two conventional novels and several short stories before Looking Backward transformed his career and his legacy.