The Aerial Board of Control is a fictional supranational organization dedicated to the control and aid of airship traffic across the whole world. It was first described in the science fiction

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

With the Night Mail "With the Night Mail" is a 1905 science fiction novella by Rudyard Kipling. Setting The story is set in the early 21st century and describes the Aerial Board of Control, a fictional supranational organization dedicated to the control and aid ...

" (1905), and later in " As Easy as ABC" (1912.)

Description

", the first story about the Aerial Board of Control, is set in 2000 A.D. By this date the Aerial Board of Control was established as an ''ad hoc'' working world organisation, much as the global arrangements of the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Established in England in the 17th century, the GPO was a state monopoly covering the dispatch of items from a specific ...

already had in Kipling's time, and with the aim of keeping national entanglements to a minimum for commerce and communication. Kipling envisages the Board as having a tight structure and hierarchical organisation, akin to a blend of the British Merchant Navy and the Post Office, with its world centre in London. It is described as "a massive ..organization that controls the world’s air travel and usurps the power of individual nation-states". In "With the Night Mail", Kipling described it as a "semi-elected, semi-nominated body of a few score persons of both sexes

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

controls this planet. 'Transportation is Civilization,' our motto runs. Theoretically, we do what we please so long as we do not interfere with the traffic ''and all it implies''. Practically, the A.B.C. confirms or annuls all international arrangements and, to judge from its last report, finds our tolerant, humorous, lazy little planet only too ready to shift the whole burden of public administration on its shoulders." Later the Board appeared in the long sequel story " As Easy as ABC", set in the year 2065 after a devastating plague. At this point the A.B.C. is effectively a reluctant and light-touch

world government World government is the concept of a single political authority governing all of Earth and humanity. It is conceived in a variety of forms, from tyrannical to democratic, which reflects its wide array of proponents and detractors. There has ...

, though its mandate limits it to the protection of free trade and "all that may imply". Again, here Kipling took the opportunity to slightly revise elements of the earlier story.

Publications

" was published in ''

McClure's Magazine ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wat ...

'' in November 1905, and then in '' The Windsor Magazine'' in December 1905. In 1909 it was issued as a popular book, slightly revised and with additional poetry and ''faux'' advertisements and notices from the future. It later appeared in the Kipling story collection ''Actions and reactions'' (1915). "As Easy as ABC" was published in ''

The London Magazine ''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and poetry. A number of Nobel Laureates, including Annie Ernaux, Albert Camus, Doris Les ...

'' 1912, but was drafted in 1907.Charles Carrington, ''Rudyard Kipling: His Life and Work'' (Macmillan, 1955), 374. Kipling wrote only these two science fiction stories set in his Aerial Board of Control universe of the early 21st century. To date, no other author has followed his lead by creating more such tales. The two stories were widely anthologised in the 20th century, for instance opening the major Gollancz anthology ''One Hundred Years of Science Fiction'' (1969). Both stories are now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

Legacy

The Board of Space Control in the ''Venus Prime'' novels is inspired by both Kipling stories, and is mentioned in the afterword to the first book in the series, ''Breaking Strain'' by Arthur C. Clarke (whose short stories serve as the basis for each of the six novels, all written by Paul Preuss) as having done so, with Clarke saying that Kipling was the 'Clarke of the Air Age' for writing the stories about the ABC.

Notes

References

External links

*
With The Night Mail
*

Illustrated PDF of both stories
{{Rudyard Kipling Fictional elements introduced in 1905 Fictional military organizations Fictional governments Works by Rudyard Kipling Bureaucracy in fiction Air traffic control organizations