An old man discovers a baby the size of his thumb in a glowing stalk of bamboo, and the baby grows into a beautiful woman princess from the moon. The emperor of Japan falls in love with her, but the moon people come to take her away in a flying saucer. So goes a tenth-century Japanese fairy tale, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, one of the earliest known examples of science fiction. But can we call a fairy tale, "science fiction?" The experts don't agree. Many old stories feature the moon, other planets, and scientific advance but none call themselves science fiction. Instead, experts apply the term proto-science fiction to these historic works. This book is a brief introduction to the genre. It provides the history of science fictions origins, and shows the culture that influenced the work.