boyutpedia Chapter 47 $1 vs. $100 Million
Chapter 47 $1 vs. $100 Million
"Brothers! This is a top-tier, one-of-a-kind science fiction manuscript worth $100 million. It's a rare, signed copy, handwritten by the author, never published before, and there's only one in the world!"
Today I'll show you the wealth gap in science fiction: from signed first editions with 50 copies, limited edition hardcovers with 10 copies, classic originals for $100, all the way down to street-side science fiction books bought from mysterious countries for just $1!
I bought them all and read, disassembled, and experienced them one by one.
Can you believe that humanity's top-tier futuristic fantasies, which aren't even science fiction, are just short of money?
Jimmy Donaldson is a top American YouTuber, though he's most commonly known as "Mr. Beast" in China.
One of Time's 100 Most Influential People, the world's hottest video creator.
The video he's filming is one of his most popular series: One Dollar vs. One Million Dollars.
The focus is on the exaggerated changes in the value of an item as it appreciates from $1 to $100 million.
The camera pans to the bank vault, revealing white gloves and focused lighting.
On the table lay an extremely thin booklet, its cover brittle. I carefully opened it—Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, first edition, 1818.
"I know you're thinking: How can a magazine be worth 100 million?"
However, the copy I have in my hand is not strictly speaking a "magazine," but rather a bound volume of trial prints that Mary Shelley personally gave to a friend in 1818.
It contains the earliest text of Frankenstein, as well as several scientific essays from the same period—one of which is a report on “electric shock causing muscle contraction in corpses.”
This is the first cry of science fiction.
Only two copies are known to exist worldwide. The other copy is in the British Museum.
The book I have here was purchased from Christie's in 2024—the starting price was 75 yuan, and the final price after commission was exactly 101.7 yuan.
Why is it worth the price? Because without it, there would be no "Amazing Stories," and none of the science fiction you see today.
Every science fiction magazine originated from this one.
Mr. Beast took his fans to see a $100 million science fiction film.
"Then comes 10. At this price, you're no longer buying the magazine itself, but rather a piece of work within it."
This 1928 edition of *Weird Tales* contains H.P. Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror".
But what makes it worth $10 is the handwritten notes in the magazine's blank spaces—
Those were Lovecraft's own revised handwriting, as well as a draft of a short message he wrote to his editor.
This magazine came from the hands of a deceased collector's descendant and has proof of provenance.
And for $10,000, you could buy the world's first science fiction magazine.
The inaugural issue of Amazing Stories in April 1926—edited by Hugo Gernsback—was the world's first magazine dedicated to publishing science fiction.
The magazine in Mr. Beast's hands wasn't in perfect condition; the cover had creases and the spine was worn, but the inner pages were intact.
He explained:
"At a 2023 auction, a copy of the same book in better condition sold for $26,000. I got mine for $10,000, so I guess I got a bargain."
This is the birth certificate of science fiction as an independent genre.
$1000 is a signed copy from an American science fiction writer. It's a bit overpriced, but at that price, how could Mr. Beast, who's as rich as dirt, possibly care?
Both the $100 and $10 sets are bound volumes of the book.
The highlight of the whole thing finally came down to the "mysterious country" mentioned at the beginning of the video, a street vendor science fiction magazine: Science Fiction Vision.
"I don't know Chinese. I asked a friend in China to bring this magazine to me. He said it's the most popular science fiction magazine in his country."
"I haven't shown you the contents of any of the books I mentioned before because they are all well-known works. But this one is different. I've decided to have my friend who speaks Chinese tell you the science fiction story on the cover."
Because of curiosity about the mysterious country, the number of comments on the video suddenly surged, with discussions revolving around whether Dongfang could actually write science fiction.
Can their technological advancements truly support their science fiction works? It seems their science fiction doesn't actually have a single work that's truly outstanding in the world.
An Asian face appeared on the screen; he was probably the Chinese-speaking friend Mr. Beast mentioned, but viewers still thought he was more likely an employee of Mr. Beast's studio.
"The cover story of this magazine is titled 'Heard It in the Morning,' which comes from a poem by the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius: 'If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening.'"
Among Liu Cixin's early science fiction works, "The Road to Dawn" is not his most famous work, but it is a masterpiece that can deeply move readers. Like his works from the same period, "The Road to Dawn" does not hesitate to describe the magnificence and splendor of technology, and uses dense knowledge deduction to present a dazzling future world.
The difference lies in the fact that while showcasing the beauty of technology and boundless imagination, a religious martyrdom subtly dominates the tone of the entire work, perfectly aligning with its title and revealing the author's martyr-like pursuit of scientific truth. Han Song once said, "He (Liu Cixin) writes some science fiction with a strong technological flavor, but what lies beneath, what's at its core, is actually metaphysical. This emotion is most clearly expressed in 'The Road to Dawn.' It has a philosophical and religious meaning."
As the plot reached its climax, a familiar name appeared that made American and European audiences sit up and listen.
Just as writing about Lu Xun in a Western article can surprise Chinese people, they are surprised to hear the name Hawking.
That limp body, seemingly devoid of bones, slumped in the wheelchair, like a candle softening and about to melt in high heat.
Even so, he became the last martyr to ascend the altar in his quest for truth.
The entire work begins with the famous saying "to hear the truth in the morning" and gradually builds up a conceptual story, which is a spiritual tribute to a group of science fanatics who relentlessly pursue the ultimate in science.
At the end of the story, Wenwen (Ding Yi's daughter), who has grown into a new generation of physicists, once again asks the ultimate question: "What is the purpose of the universe?"
The live chat exploded with comments.
"Is this a science fiction story written by an Asian?"
"How could this religious feel, this high-quality science fiction style, possibly be written by a mysterious country?"
The surge in video views and reposts made Chinese science fiction a hot topic.
Meanwhile, the unsuspecting Science Fiction Vision magazine was overwhelmed by the sudden surge in sales and the resulting supply shortage.
It's worth noting that in recent years, the monthly sales of "Science Fiction Vision" have only reached 200,000 copies, but this time the 300,000 copies they specially prepared were still not enough.
When the editor-in-chief learned about Mr. Beast's Hiroko, he laughed heartily:
"Early spring tea is truly our lucky charm!"