Pharaoh's Broker: Being the Very Remarkable Experiences in Another World of Isidor Werner

"Pharaoh's Broker" by Ellsworth Douglass is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story centers around Isidor Werner, a successful broker in Chicago whose mysterious disappearance sparks media speculation and intrigue. The opening chapters hint at a fantastical journey involving space travel and groundbreaking inventions, highlighting themes of exploration, adventure, and the quest for knowledge beyond the confines of Earth. The opening of the narrative introduces Isidor Werner and his noteworthy success in the wheat market, juxtaposed against his sudden vanishing act that captivates the city’s newspapers. As various theories about his fate emerge, including suicide and strange mechanical inventions, we learn of Dr. Hermann Anderwelt, a scientist with an incredible proposal for space travel and exploration. The initial conversations between Werner and Anderwelt establish a sense of wonder and ambition, hinting at a groundbreaking journey into the cosmos that intertwines with Werner's unusual disappearance, thereby setting the stage for an extraordinary adventure filled with scientific intrigue and potential peril.