Book
Dune
Economics & Finance
Arts, Music & MediaWhat is Dune in the Agency editorial?
Dune is a 1965 epic science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. In Issue.5, the edition describes it as a Star Wars for adults and uses its fictional spice economy to illustrate the economic concepts of novelty and commodity.
In short
In Issue.5, Dune is introduced with its own section heading. The edition describes it as a 1965 epic science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert and calls it a Star Wars for adults. It quotes the line 'He who controls the spice controls the universe', credited to Frank Herbert, and explains that in Dune, humanity has split into different societies and planets while continuously going to war over a rare spice called Melange that unlocks prescience. The edition uses this fictional economy to explain the difference between a novelty (something scarce and valuable) and a commodity (something mass-produced and no longer scarce).
Key facts
- How does Issue.5 describe the novel?
- As a 1965 epic science fiction novel by Frank Herbert and a Star Wars for adults.
- What economic concept does the edition illustrate with Dune?
- The difference between a novelty and a commodity: when a raw ingredient is scarce it is a novelty, but mass-produced it becomes a commodity.
- What quote from the book is used?
- 'He who controls the spice controls the universe.'
What is Dune?
Dune is a 1965 epic science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert. These identification facts are confirmed by the edition itself, which names the year, genre and author.
How does Dune appear in Issue.5?
In Issue.5, Dune has its own section heading and is introduced through a pair of rhetorical questions. The edition describes the novel's world where humanity has split into different societies and planets at war over Melange, a rare spice that unlocks prescience. It quotes 'He who controls the spice controls the universe' and uses the fictional spice economy to teach the difference between a novelty and a commodity: when a raw ingredient is scarce and valuable, it is a novelty; when mass-produced, it becomes a commodity.
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.