Capek (Karel) R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots):
£450
A Play in Three Acts and an Epilogue…translated from the Czech by P. Selver and adapted for the English stage by Nigel Playfair
London &c., Oxford University Press, 1923.
First UK edition. 8vo. 1p. advertisement. Original dark-blue/grey wrappers lettered in red.
A lovely example of the first appearance in English of Karel Capek’s science fiction classic, in the original wrappers; with the overlaid slip on the cast-list page (apparently for copyright purposes), and with the advertisement for And so ad infinitum at the end. The work is most famous for bringing the word “robot” to the public consciousness, though the credit for this invention it seems lies largely with the author’s brother, the cubist painter & writer Josef Capek.
Out of stock
Skillfully rebacked with matching paper, newspaper note relating to “robots” mounted to rear fly-leaf with neat accompanying note, an excellent copy.
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Hubin listed title with strong sci-fi overtones in which an Oriental cadre of secret masters aspire to immortality through imbibing an elixir of unknown provenance, and by using advanced technology to preserve themselves. They threaten the world, but are defeated in the end (Blieler p61, the only title by this author listed).
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First edition. Large 8vo. Publisher's white cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced at 7/6 on front flap, overprinted with 4/6.
The first novel by the writer described by Ronald Bryden as "the most exasperatingly gifted writer in England". Hyams was a translator and author, active in various genres, fiction and non-fiction, from before World War Two. Although not widely known for his speculative work, he published several novels of Sci-Fi interest. The Wings of the Morning is a discussion novel in the style of the scientific romance set as a future war novel whose description does not very accurately anticipate the reality to come. This was his first novel written when he was 28 years old. Rare. No copies of any kind for sale at time of listing.