WHAT MAD UNIVERSE. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1949. Octavo, boards. First edition. A presentation copy with brief signed inscription by Brown to SF writer Judith Merril on front free endpaper (although she is not mentioned in the inscription by name): "1-10-50 / In memory of a / wonderful evening, / most of which I spent / trying to think of / something clever to / write herein / Fred Brown." "Out of an infinity of universes there must be one that mirrors the adolescent SF fan's fantasies, complete with the trappings of SF pulpdom. And that is exactly where SF editor Keith Winton finds himself in this zany first [SF] novel by one of SF's best comedic writers. Although similar to L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt's THE INCOMPLETE ENCHANTER (1941), in that the hero is miraculously tossed into a mythic world, Brown's version differs in that it is a very real post-World War II America with the addition of occasional SF conventions, such as bug-eyed monsters and invading aliens. In a sense, Brown anticipated Ursula K. Le Guin's THE LATHE OF HEAVEN (1971); ironically, his work was dismissed as clever light comedy while hers is probed for deep philosophic meanings." - Joe De Bolt and John Pfeiffer, "Outstanding SF Books, 1927-1979." A "comic romp which nicely satirizes many of the SF clichés of its day." - Pringle, The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, second edition (1995), p. 416. Anatomy of Wonder (2004) II-170. Survey of Science Fiction Literature V, pp. 2451-54. In 333. Boards rubbed at spine ends, corner tips, and along lower edges, a very good copy in good dust jacket with chips from spine ends and corner tips. This book is rarely found signed or inscribed by Brown. (#159955).
Price: $1,250.00
First edition so stated on copyright page.