The Last American
 A Fragment from the Journal of Khan-li, Prince of Dimph-yoo-chur and Admiral in the Persian Navy

by John Ames Mitchell

"The Last American" by John Ames Mitchell is a novel published in 1889. Set in 2951, it follows Persian explorer Khan-Li who rediscovers a long-abandoned America, devastated by catastrophic climate change centuries earlier. Through the explorers' journals, Mitchell presents a satirical commentary on late 19th-century American society, seen through foreign eyes examining ruins and artifacts. The Persians piece together a civilization's rise and fall, finding both grandeur and troubling social developments in America's remnants.