I found this at a used-book store, and was excited at the notion of reading short-story 19th century visions-- of the fantastic and of the future. The author gives a very interesting commentary/criticism which I feel adds much value to this book, not only as an anthology, but as a critical study (given this book was published so long ago, the criticism itself is an interesting look back. However, I do feel it was odd that attention was given either to a specific author (there was a very long Hawthorne section, for example) or to a sub-genre (e.g., automata)--making the topic of commentary seem at times a bit arbitrary.
Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely--it was extremely engaging and entertaining (and the format made it a perfect read on my commute). I thank the author for introducing me to science-fiction by authors I wasn't aware of (or by those who I had not previously considered sci-fi authors--e.g., Melville). The sophistication and logic (and surprisingly accurate projections in many cases) have made for some interesting dinner-table discussion with my husband (who is now reading it). I'm giving this book 5 stars, as I believe it to be a must-read for those interested in the history of the future.