5fish
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The term steampunk was first coined in 1987 but there were novels before 1987 that could be considered steampunk.
The term "steampunk" was first used in 1987 by science fiction author K.W. Jeter. Jeter coined the term in a letter to Locus.
The first steampunk book is considered to be Morlock Night by K.W. Jeter, published in 1979. Jeter coined the term "steampunk" in 1987 to describe the book
Many consider Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake, published in 1959, to be the first full steampunk novel (despite the term, "steampunk" not being coined yet).
The steampunk genre was inspired by the works of Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, and H.G. Wells. Some early works that are considered proto-steampunk include Morlock Night (1979) by Jeter, The Anubis Gates (1983) by Powers, and Homunculus (1986) by Blaylock.
steampunkworkshop.com
I’m a librarian by profession, and a scholar by inclination, so when I got involved with the amazing confluence of ideas that was steampunk in mid naughts I naturally wanted to know where this idea of steampunk came from. Most steampunks know little about steampunk’s origins. We are part of a strange phenomenon in which loads of elaborately costumed people call themselves “fans” of books they can’t even name. This is not too surprising since steampunk didn’t become popular as a genre until after it inspired an art and lifestyle movement. The few histories of the genre are too lengthy for most people to digest, but not knowing the basics about where steampunk came from leaves its enthusiasts wallowing in a shallow puddle of clichés when they could be swimming in an ocean of imagination. As a cure I suggest the reading nine of the most creative works of late twentieth century speculative fiction, the novels that defined steampunk.
en.wikipedia.org
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.[1][2][3] Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or the American frontier, where steam power remains in mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.
The term "steampunk" was first used in 1987 by science fiction author K.W. Jeter. Jeter coined the term in a letter to Locus.
The first steampunk book is considered to be Morlock Night by K.W. Jeter, published in 1979. Jeter coined the term "steampunk" in 1987 to describe the book
Many consider Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake, published in 1959, to be the first full steampunk novel (despite the term, "steampunk" not being coined yet).
The steampunk genre was inspired by the works of Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, and H.G. Wells. Some early works that are considered proto-steampunk include Morlock Night (1979) by Jeter, The Anubis Gates (1983) by Powers, and Homunculus (1986) by Blaylock.
The Nine Novels That Defined Steampunk

I’m a librarian by profession, and a scholar by inclination, so when I got involved with the amazing confluence of ideas that was steampunk in mid naughts I naturally wanted to know where this idea of steampunk came from. Most steampunks know little about steampunk’s origins. We are part of a strange phenomenon in which loads of elaborately costumed people call themselves “fans” of books they can’t even name. This is not too surprising since steampunk didn’t become popular as a genre until after it inspired an art and lifestyle movement. The few histories of the genre are too lengthy for most people to digest, but not knowing the basics about where steampunk came from leaves its enthusiasts wallowing in a shallow puddle of clichés when they could be swimming in an ocean of imagination. As a cure I suggest the reading nine of the most creative works of late twentieth century speculative fiction, the novels that defined steampunk.

Steampunk - Wikipedia

Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.[1][2][3] Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or the American frontier, where steam power remains in mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.