Man in the Moone (French). L’homme dans la lune.

Godwin was a bishop in the Church of England, historian, and science fiction author.

First published posthumously in 1638 as The Man in the Moone, this is likely the second French edition translated by Jean Baudoin. It is considered to be one of the earliest works of science fiction and is closely associated with the burgeoning popularity of “new astronomy”. Although Nicolaus Copernicus is the only astronomer mentioned by name in his narrative, Godwin also draws on the theories of Johannes Kepler and appears to have been influenced by Galileo Galilei's Sidereus Nuncius (1610). Unlike Galileo who used a telescope to determine that bright areas of the moon were likely mountains and the dark spots flat areas, Godwin theorizes that the dark spots on the Moon are seas. Godwin’s theory aligns with Kepler's fictional Somnium (also displayed here).

Godwin’s story is that of Gonsales, a world traveler, who builds a flying machine powered by unusually large swans. After using it to fly to various destinations on earth to escape harm, he flies to the moon and lives with its inhabitants. After six months, he returns to earth and settles in China. 

Francis Godwin (1562-1633). Man in the Moone (French). L’homme dans la lune. Paris: Antoine de Sommaville, 1654.

Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/00011956551