The Book That Saved the Earth

Setting and Context

• The play is set in the twenty-fifth century at the Museum of Ancient History on Earth.
• A Historian recounts the events of 2040, when a Martian invasion was stopped not by weapons, but by a book of nursery rhymes.
• The twentieth century is referred to as the "Era of the Book," a time when books taught, illustrated, and decorated every aspect of human life.

The Martian Command

• Think-Tank, the Commander-in-Chief of Mars, is portrayed as an arrogant, egg-headed being who considers himself the most intelligent creature in the universe.
• His apprentice, Noodle, is more observant and tactful, often correcting Think-Tank’s blunders by framing suggestions as "insignificant bits of data."
• Think-Tank views Earth as a "ridiculous little planet" and a "primitive ball of mud" that he intends to put under his "generous rulership."

The Encounter at the Library

• The Martian space probe crew (Captain Omega, Lieutenant Iota, and Sergeant Oop) lands in the Centerville Public Library.
• Confused by the thousands of books, they initially mistake them for hats or storage items in a "haberdashery."
• Think-Tank confidently identifies books as "sandwiches," claiming they are the main staple of the Earthling diet.
• To confirm this, Sergeant Oop is ordered to eat one; he finds it "dry as Martian dust" and "not delicious."

The Great Misinterpretation

• Noodle suggests that books might be communication devices. The crew first tries to listen to them (hearing nothing) and then realizes they are for "eye communication."
• After consuming "intelligence vitamins" from their chemical department, the crew deciphers the "code" (text) in a copy of Mother Goose.
• Think-Tank hilariously misinterprets the nursery rhymes:
  • Mistress Mary: He believes Earthlings can grow crops of rare metals and high explosives.
  • Hey Diddle Diddle: He believes Earthlings have reached a high level of civilization where even domesticated animals have space techniques and musical culture.
  • Humpty Dumpty: Upon seeing the illustration of Humpty Dumpty, Think-Tank is terrified because the character resembles his own "Great and Mighty Balloon Brain."

The Resolution

• Convinced that Earthlings are planning to capture Mars and that they have identified him personally, Think-Tank panics.
• He orders an immediate evacuation of Mars and commands his fleet to flee to Alpha Centauri, a hundred million miles away.
• The Historian concludes by noting that Earth and Mars eventually became friends five hundred years later.
• The wise Noodle replaced Think-Tank, and while Martians learned to read, they still cannot bring themselves to read Mother Goose.