A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, published by Henry Colburn as a three-volume novel, as was usual in that day, so that each small volume could be carried around easily.

[7] She may have drawn inspiration from the general fashion for anything Pharaonic, inspired by the French researches during the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt; the 1821 public unwrappings of Egyptian mummies in a theatre near Piccadilly, which she may have attended as a girl, and very likely, the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.

[3] As Shelley had written of Frankenstein's creation, "A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch," which may have triggered her later concept.

[3] However, unlike the Frankenstein monster, the hideous revived Cheops is not shuffling around dealing out horror and death, but giving canny advice on politics and life to those who befriend him.

A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century may be seen as her reaction to themes in Frankenstein: her mummy specifically says he is allowed life only by divine favour, rather than being indisputably vivified only by mortal science.

[3] Unlike many early science fiction works, such as Shelley's The Last Man, and Madden's The Reign of King George VI, 1900–1925,[8] Loudon did not portray the future as her own day with mere political changes.

At its initial publication, the book drew many favourable reviews, including one in 1829 in The Gardener's Magazine on the inventions it proposed.

She had no previous experience in this area and commented, “It is scarcely possible to imagine any person more completely ignorant of everything relating to botany than I was at the period of my marriage with Mr Loudon.” She took on an assistant role to her much older husband.

[11][12] They travelled together in England and Scotland the 1830s and early 1840s as he advised on gardens, estate design and obtained for plant material for his books and periodicals.

Jane Loudon's books gave women hope and power to be able to complete the task of gardening while getting helpful hints on how to do this effectively from her works.

A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century in The Gardener's Magazine, the first British periodical devoted to horticulture which he had founded and edited.

Seeking out the author, whom he presumed to be male, he eventually met Jane Webb in February 1830:[2] Among other foreshadowings of things that were to be, was a steam plough, and this attracted the attention of Mr. John C. Loudon, whose numerous and valuable works on gardening, agriculture, etc., are so well known, led to an acquaintance, which terminated in a matrimonial connection.

[17] She was given an award from Royal Literary Fund in 1844 and received a "deservedly gained" pension of £100 a year from the Civil List from 1846 onwards.

[19] A blue plaque jointly commemorating the Loudons was erected at their former home, 3 Porchester Terrace, Bayswater in 1953, by London County Council.