The Balloon Hoax

by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Balloon-Hoax" is the title used in collections and anthologies of a newspaper article written by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1844. Originally presented as a true story, it detailed European Monck Mason's trip across the Atlantic Ocean in only three days in a gas balloon. It was later revealed as a hoax and the story was retracted two days later. The story now known as "The Balloon-Hoax" was first printed in The Sun newspaper in New York. The article provided a detailed and highly plausible account of a lighter-than-air balloon trip by famous European balloonist Monck Mason across the Atlantic Ocean taking 75 hours, along with a diagram and specifications of the craft. Poe may have been inspired, at least in part, by a prior journalistic hoax known as the "Great Moon Hoax," published in the same newspaper in 1835. One of the suspected writers of that hoax, Richard Adams Locke, was Poe's editor at the time "The Balloon-Hoax" was published. Poe had complained for a decade that the paper's Great Moon Hoax had plagiarized (by way of Locke) the basic idea from The Unparalleled Adventure Of One Hans Pfaall, one of Poe's less successful stories which also involved similar inhabitants on the moon. Poe felt The Sun had made tremendous profits from his story without giving him a cent. (Poe's anger at The Sun paper is chronicled in the 2008 book "The Sun and the Moon" by Matthew Goodman.)

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Science Fiction, Horror, 19th Century, Audiobook

28 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 1844

About the author

The name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.

Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.

The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...

Reviews

[Mohammed Arabey · Rating 3 out of 5]

إذا ذكر بو ذكر الغراب، الموت اﻻحمر، القلب النابض، القط الاسود، خنفساء الذهب
بحق الله لما لا يذكر البالونات؟

بعد حكاية المغامرة المذهلة للمدعو هانز فوول حيث ألهم السيد بو الملايين بقصة قصيرة وبالون الصعود للقمر
يأتي بعدها بعقد من الزمان بقصة أقل شطوحا في الخيال، وأسهل تطبيقا بقصة عن الطيران من قارة لأخري عبر المحيط اﻻطلنطي في 3 ايام، قبل اختراع الطائرة بنصف قرن
أيضا ببالون

المفترض أن القصة نشرت بالجريدة بشكل خادع ليظهر كأنها حقيقية، كقصة خدعة القمر العظيمة لريتشارد ادامز لوك التي ذكرتها في المراجعة السابقة

وبشكل تفصيلي دقيق يوضح كيف ان مجموعة من الرجال قرروا تجربة المنطاد المعدل للطيران من انجلترا الي فرنسا، فقط عبور القناة البريطانية
ولكن ما حدث فعلا هو امرا لم يكن في الحسبان

مثل المغامرة السابقة هنا الامر اقل خيالا يحكي لنا السيد بو بشكل تقريري خبري خصائص علمية كثيرة عن المنطاد والتعديل الذي قام به العلماء الذين قرروا تجربتهم البسيطة التي تحولت لتجربة ضخمة في عبور الاطلنطي

وصف رؤية المحيط من اعلي كان مكررا كما بالقصة السابقة لكن اضف لهذا انهم لم يكنوا يرتفعون لاعلي، بل في خط سير موازي مما جعل هناك مشاهد ظريفة لدهشة ركاب السفن المختلفة التي مر فوقها المنطاد

انه حلم الطيران الخالد...ان يطوع البشر الجو ايضا للانتقال كما طوع البحر منذ الالاف السنين
وقتها -1844-بالرغم من ان المنطاد اصلا لم يرتفع لاكثر من 3000 مترا عن الارض وقتها، ولم تزد اطول رحلاته عن قطع 30 كيلومترا ، ظهر هذا الخبر بجريدة كتبه بو كخدعة عن صدفة أمكنت بالون معدلا جيدا للسفر عبر المحيط


حسنا يبدو ان الاعلام المروج لاخبار زائفة كالمصري اليوم لايت وشبكة التحرير علي الفيس بوك لها اصول تاريخية، ولكن علي الاقل كان يكتبها كبار المؤلفين...وتسببت في الهام الكثيرين
لانه بعد خمسين عاما تقريبا صار بالفعل هناك طائرات، وتمكن البشر من السفر عبر المحيطات والقارات جوا


لذا كما في تقييمي لقصة المغامرة المذهلة للمدعو هانز فوول ، جزء كبير من التقييم لنعمة الخيال المبتكر تلك
وان كانت هنا ليست قصة بل هي اقرب لخبر مكتوب بشكل قصصي صحفي

تحية للخيال، تحية للمبتكرين
وتحية للمدعو ادجار الان بو وهوسه ب..البلالين


محمد العربي
في 12 ابريل 2017

[Fernando · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuenta la historia que el Southern Literary Messenger estaba empantanado en cantidad de suscriptores y calidad de material.
Su editor, Thomas Willis White, que ya había contratado a Poe, le pide sacar al diario de este trance. Poe escribe este cuento en donde se anuncia que por primera vez un globo cruza el atlántico de un continente a otro, algo sin precedentes para la época.
La gente enloqueció al enterarse de la noticia y el diario agotó su edición, teniendo que editar muchísimas copias más.
Luego, Poe y compañía tuvieron que aclarar que la noticia no era cierta, sino que había sido otra creación genial de su pluma, lo que demuestra el poder de atracción que tenía su genio.
Como dato adicional aclaro que Poe logró aumentar la cantidad de suscriptores del humilde Messenger, que pasó de 700 a 5500 en poco tiempo.

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have some mixed feelings about this one, as Poe had shown an unexpected sense of humor, in order to create a hoax, but (of course, if you ask me, a thing I have doubts about...) he failed in creating an entertaining story.
Eight citizens want to travel by balloon from Wales to France, but due to bad weather, they have to settle for a trip to America. Nice enough, but the narrative is dull and boring, there are too many technical terms and four page(!!!) paragraphs make the reading even more unpleasant.
This story was published for the first time on April 1844 in New York Sun.

[Aishu Rehman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally Boring. Poe wrote the story, which was published in a newspaper, to fool the readers thinking it was a real story only to be retracted 2 days afterwards, even though they actually believed it.😕😕

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fictional story told through news articles of a balloon machine landing in South Carolina. The logistical descriptions felt unnecessary but the basis of the story was interesting.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. Wow. Interesting. The Balloon Hoax is one of 15 stories in The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales from 1960. Fourteen pages. This work was first printed as a news story in the New York Sun in 1844 - a fictional account of a crossing of the Atlantic in a lighter-than-air balloon disguised as reality. Fake news 175 years ago! The next day crowds were clamoring to get more information. The day after that, the story was retracted as there was no confirmation from South Carolina where it supposedly landed. Science fiction of the highest order. Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days in 1872 harkened back to this story, and the radio version of Wells' War of the Worlds in 1938 hit the fake news aspect. Monck Mason recounts the story. He and 7 others lifted-off from North Wales in a steerable balloon powered by coal gas. They decided to turn west rather than south. 75 hours later! Scientific inconsistencies from our century do pop up like no breathing issues at 25,000 feet. But it reads as plausible. In reality, the first balloon of this type to cross the Atlantic only did so in 1978. And it went west to east. Remarkable. (Au2020/Mar2026)

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fact: Mr. Poe loves balloons.

Also Fact: I do not.

After spending what felt like decades reading about Mr. Hans Pfaall building his spaceship balloon, I was much relieved to read this:

"This model (which, through want of time, we have necessarily described in an imperfect manner,)"

Praise the lord.



This is just a very short account of a balloon (Poe's favorite thing) making a surprise journey across the Atlantic. There was nothing that special about it, and I was just relieved that it was short.

It's apparent that Poe loves science and he's very brilliant, but all the science-y stuff does not make for awesome novel reading.

[José Cruz Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is unquestionably the most stupendous, the most interesting, and the most important undertaking ever accomplished or even attempted by man. What magnificent events may ensue, it would be useless now to think of determining

The Ballon-Hoax is, of course, what inspired Jules Verne to write Around the World in 80 Days. But aside from inspiring Verne and being a primitive example of fake news, this little story is of little interest to a contemporary audience.

[ESRAA MOHAMED · Rating 2 out of 5]

حلم الطيران والمنطاد في عيون بو ...
قصة قصيرة في هيئة مقال عن مغامرة عبر الأطلنطي في منطاد مع وصف علمي للمنطاد وتوثيق لأحداث الرحلة ...

استمتعوا..
دمتم قراء ❤❤❤

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh ... another balloon story ... great ...
Although to be honest, this wasn't a bad story. It tells about a bunch of scientists, desperate to make a name for themselves after several failed attempts, who construct a balloon in which they intend to traverse the English Channel. Except due to strong conditions, they deem it possible to cross the Atlantic itself, arriving in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Nothing extraordinary or hazardous happens in this journey - unlike the adventure of one Hans Pffaal - but for this reason I actually kind of enjoyed it. It's got a very serene quality to it. I particularly liked the part when he describes the quietude of the Atlantic ocean: "I am more struck, just now, with the supreme silence which reigns in the sea beneath us, not withstanding its agitation, than with any other phenomenon presenting itself. The waters give up no voices to the heavens. The immense flaming ocean writhes and is tortured uncomplainingly. The mountainous surges suggest the idea of innumerable dumb gigantic fields struggling in impotent agony".

Only thing I'm not sure of was the title. Was this whole thing set up as a hoax? I fucking missed that implication if there was one. I mean, I know it's fiction, but I'm talking about what the fuck happened within the fiction. Is this the story of a bunch of men literally crossing the ocean by balloon? Or is it about these scientist fooling the world into believing they did? I'm just not sure. Mr. Poe would be rolling in his grave to know that dumb fucks like me are now reading his work.

[Federico DN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

It was ok, but not worth reviewing.

For the moment at least.

It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.

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PERSONAL NOTE :
[1844] [15p] [Horror] [Not Recommendable]
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Meh.

Estuvo ok, pero no vale la pena reseñarlo.

Al menos por ahora.

Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.

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NOTA PERSONAL :
[1844] [15p] [Horror] [No Recomendable]
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[Jes Reaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why with the balloons, Poe? After Hans Pfall I want no more and yet here we are. I wish I would have known this was actually published in a newspaper and made out to be real for a couple days. Well done practical joke. I suppose..

But really I want no more long descriptions of the mechanics of a fucking balloon.

edit 12/19: and almost three years later I still think about this story so what the fuck do I know?

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls · Rating 1 out of 5]

my friends say I should act my age

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 Stars
Poe's story starts off with this statement "The great problem is at length solved. The air, as well as the earth and the ocean, has been subdued by science, and will become a common and convenient highway for mankind." considering this story was first published in 1844 it almost sounds like a Nostradamus type prophesy by Poe when; "On August 11, 1978, a group of three adventurers became the first people to ever cross the Atlantic in a balloon. Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman were aloft in a helium balloon named Double Eagle II for 137 hours of flight time, according to PBS. It was the first balloon record in 17 years, PBS writes, and the previous one was for altitude." (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-...) Poe was off somewhat when it took 3 balloonists not 8 and 137 hours not 75 hours to make the crossing, but still it is amazing that what some writers imagine others make possible. Quote by Pablo Picasso "Everything you can imagine is real."

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poe has a fascination with hot air balloons. After reading the third of his stories this year about them, I have decided that I have no such fascination. I skimmed most of this story to just get the gist of it.

[Alexis Breut · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note finale : 2/5

Lu dans le recueil "La Chute de la Maison Usher et autres histoires extraordinaires" des éditions RBA coleccionables.

Quatorzième nouvelle du recueil et oooouhh celle-là, elle est pas passée facilement. C'est un canular journalistique, faisant croire à la traversée de l'Atlantique en "seulement soixante-quinze heures". La première moitié de la nouvelle décrit le ballon (et elle est insupportablement laborieuse et technique) et la deuxième moitié raconte la traversée, en se demandant "Si ça c'est possible, qu'est ce qui est impossible ?". En plus d'avoir évidemment très mal vieilli, cette nouvelle est très indigeste.

[Avel Rudenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Balloon-Hoax" is like one of Poe's "tales of ratiocination" (such as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue") in reverse: rather than taking things apart to solve a problem, Poe builds up fiction to make it seem true.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story ended right when it was supposed to be picking up - I was disappointed to hear that it really was a hoax, even in real life, and that there wasn't actually any kind of story here to speak of at all. Shame, as it did start out promising.

[Andrei Tamaş · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fără doar şi poate, scrierea a stârnit vâlvă în epocă, descriind amănunţit (şi ştiinţific) originea balonului. Astăzi n-ar mai avea efectul scontat.

[Wiktor Seweryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

[2,5/10] – (2026) – strasznie nudna chała. czułem się bardziej, jakbym czytał specjalistyczne sprawozdanie, a nie utwór literacki xd

[Persy · Rating 1 out of 5]

“The air, as well as the earth and the ocean, has been subdued by science, and will become a common and convenient highway for mankind.”

Oooof. Sorry, Poe. This one fell flat and got stomped on.

I read that this short story was originally published as a hoax in a newspaper meant to convince readers of legitimate travel by a balloon — so in that regard perhaps it was more engaging?

With the current context of the day it’s merely dry, overly detailed, and boring.

[Patsy Boobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually fell for the hoax lol the way he wrote made you really believe that this actually happened if you didn’t see the title of it. Poe proves to us how we can be easily led to believe something that didn’t necessarily happen. The impressive detailing about the balloon and how it flew etc… can make someone easily convinced that this occurred.

[Mareya Khouri · Rating 2 out of 5]

If Edgar Allan Poe wrote a Buzzfeed article, it would look like this.

While I appreciate the science of hot air balloons, it does not make for fun novel reading on a Monday. To his credit, the second part of the story was slightly more bearable.

[Ebster Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is Poe's buzzfeed article.

[A Mig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story that aged badly but I can imagine the interest in the mid 19th century when aviation was in its early stage. Half of the story provides technical details about a hot air balloon, which will only be of interest to the aviation aficionado or historian of engineering marvels. It really reads like an article that could have been published in Nature magazine in 1850. The second part of the story is more captivating as it describes the trip. However nothing extraordinary occurs. The trip in itself would for sure stimulate a mid-19th century audience (I want to become an aeronaut when I'm an adult...), but nobody today except for the nostalgic person. I remain intrigued by the title, was it all a hoax? I didn't find any reference to this in the text. Maybe I missed an important piece of information... comments welcome.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually a very well done fictional account of a balloon expedition across the Atlantic Ocean. It suffers as a story only because of its success as a hoax - it is so realistic and scientifically detailed that it becomes somewhat boring, any excitement is based on the notion that this might have actually happened, in a time when such a feat had not yet been accomplished. It's interesting, though, to think of Poe creating such a fuss in his day over this "news".

Original Publication April, 1844

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was originally published as a newspaper hoax and retracted a few days later once the truth came out. It's more convincing than a lot of the hoaxes published during its time and is a short read. It's fun reading through and finding the little things Poe slipped into the story to make it sound more believable.

[Jeepz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was entertaining enough, but I wasn't wowed. Maybe it requires additional readings to see that Poe built something that wasn't there on first glance, layers deeper than the surface story. As it, on first reading, it was good.

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a prime example of how some of Poe's works are more interesting for the story BEHIND them rather than for what they are on their own. And I've arranged my takeaway thoughts into a haiku:

"Fire has been toyed with,
When embers in a tale's wake
Outshine the fake news."

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The real-life story that this was a newspaper article that was premised as true and retracted as false because the technology hadnt fully developed yet is more interesting than the actual story. It's just interesting that Poe had a great imagination to be able to portend future events.