RALPH 124C 41+: A ROMANCE OF THE YEAR 2660. Boston: The Stratford Company, Publishers, 1925. Octavo, pp. [1-2] [1-8] 9-293 [294: blank], eleven inserted plates with illustrations by Frank R. Paul, original blue cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold. First edition. Widely acclaimed upon its initial appearance in 1911 as a serial in Gernsback's magazine, MODERN ELECTRICS, this interplanetary novel by "the father of modern science fiction" is virtually unreadable today. However, historically, its impact and the prominence of its author in the SF field, elevates it to cornerstone status in the SF genre. "The literary treatment is on a very low level, but RALPH 124C 41+ is renowned for its many highly imaginative technological projections. These include clear descriptions of radar, book and newspaper microfilms and microfiches, television, plant hormones, wireless transmission of power ... etc." (Bleiler, p. 282). Anatomy of Wonder (1976) 2-80; (1981) 1-77; (1987) 1-37; (1995) 1-37; and (2004) II-431. Bleiler, Science Fiction: The Early Years 863. Clareson, Science Fiction in America, 1870s-1930s 335. Lewis, Utopian Literature, p. 70. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, p. 90. (Locke variant B, no priority). Sargent, British and American Utopian Literature, 1516-1985, Additions. Survey of Science Fiction Literature IV, pp. 1751-54. In 333. Bleiler (1978), p. 81. Reginald 05900. Hint of rubbing to cloth at head and tail of spine panel and two corner tips, a fine, bright copy in very good, bright four-color pictorial dust jacket (illustrated by Frank R. Paul) with light wear and edges and tiny, shallow chipping at spine ends, shallow chipping along flap folds (a narrow strip of insect damage), and light dust soiling to rear panel. Overall, the jacket is attractive, and the fine Paul illustration on the front panel is intact and bright. This book is rarely found in jacket and this one, with all faults, is a superior example. (#102711).
Price: $6,500.00
No statement of printing on copyright page.