Nova Atlantis vs Sylva sylvarum: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Pre-Linnean works, Natural history, Utopias, Early works to 1800, Science
Nova Atlantis
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New Atlantis is an incomplete utopian novel by Sir Francis Bacon, published posthumously in 1626. It appeared unheralded and tucked into the back of a longer work of natural history, Sylva sylvarum (forest of…
Sylva sylvarum
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This landmark work by English philosopher, scientist and author Francis Bacon examines the science of natural history as it existed in the 1670s. This book was created from a scan of the original artifact, and as such…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Nova Atlantis is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 4 for Sylva sylvarum.
- Nova Atlantis has the widest readership — 18 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| Nova Atlantis | Sylva sylvarum | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 2.9 (7) | 3.6 (8) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (18) | — |
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Reception
| Nova Atlantis | Sylva sylvarum | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 18 | 8 |
| Editions | 84 | 33 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 20 | 55 |
| Reading it now | — | 5 |
| Written reviews | 1 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3746 | — |
| Pages | 45 | 227 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Nova Atlantis or Sylva sylvarum?
Nova Atlantis has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Nova Atlantis 3.9/5, Sylva sylvarum 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Nova Atlantis or Sylva sylvarum?
Nova Atlantis is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Nova Atlantis (45 pages, ≈ 50 min); Sylva sylvarum (227 pages, ≈ 4 h 12 m).
Which is harder to read: Nova Atlantis or Sylva sylvarum?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Nova Atlantis: Demanding; Sylva sylvarum: Demanding.