The book describes the experience of a Boston resident who, in 1887 goes to see a "Mesmerist," who puts him into a deep sleep from which he awakens in the year 2000. Written in first person, the narrator describes the perfect Utopian society that exists in the Boston of the future.
There may have been some excuse for the preposterous future scenario that this book presents, given that Progressivism had never been tried before at the time it was written.
But it amazing to see that virtually all modern progressives still seem to be pursuing the absolutely unworkable model that this book describes.
Definitely worth a read, if you haven't already done so.
In an edition of this book that I no longer have in my posession, the preface mentions that in in 1937, a number of then prestigious magazines named http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_Backward "the most important fiction novel written in the last 50 years." (Not an exact quote, but that was the gist of it.)
One prediction that sort of turned out right -- in Boston in the year 2000, money had been replaced by credit cards. Actually, a government-issued credit card that everyone was issued, and when you bought something with it, the government would subtract your credits from the card.
I did an essay report on that book when in high school (I picked it myself from a list in the World Book encyclopedia because it sounded intriguing). At that time the social aspect just went whooshing past me, but what intrigued me as a geek in the making was the tech vision. They were using the recently invented telephone to do what now the Internet makes possible. Not all those capabilities are bad things. One could have telecommuted, in a manner, in Bellamy’s world. And the telephone was used for other things that could be good, such as transmitting music. Libraries were online, if I remember correctly (the librarian would have to find your book and read it to you). I doubt if Bellamy envisioned “adult” services. Too bad he didn’t mention gospel preaching which would have set the entire enterprise on the right foot. It wasn’t really clear where the center of morality was in this world.