The First Men in the Moon characters

Appears from the start

An English writer and unsuccessful businessman who retreats to Lympne to work on a play. Practical, opportunistic, and candid about his interest in profit, he becomes fascinated by the experiments of his reclusive neighbor Cavor.

Appears from the start

An eccentric physicist living near Lympne who pursues his research with little concern for money or ordinary social life. He is developing a material that can block the force of gravity, and Bedford quickly recognizes the discovery's enormous possibilities.

First appears in chapter 2

Cavor's housekeeper, who looks after his domestic needs while he devotes himself to experiments. Her ordinary presence emphasizes how little attention Cavor gives to matters outside his work.

First appears in chapter 13

The intelligent inhabitants encountered beneath the Moon's surface. They have compact bodies and large heads, use tools and restraints, and occupy the enormous system of tunnels and caverns below the lunar crust.

First appears in chapter 23

A Selenite who becomes Cavor's principal attendant and language pupil. Through patient exchanges with him, Cavor begins to communicate with the lunar inhabitants and learn how their society is arranged.

First appears in chapter 25

The immense ruler at the center of Selenite society. His greatly enlarged brain and dependent body reflect a civilization built on extreme specialization, and he questions Cavor about Earth and its people.

First appears in chapter 22

A Dutch electrician who detects faint wireless transmissions that appear to come from the Moon. He sends Bedford records of the messages, providing the first news of Cavor after the expedition.