R.U.R. (ROSSUM'S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS)

Translated by Paul Selver. Octavo, pp. [i-iv] v-x [xi] xii 1-187 [188-190: blank] [note: last leaf is a blank], four plates reproducing scenes from the 1922 Theatre Guild Production, title page printed in orange and black, original orange cloth, front and spine panels stamped in black. First edition in English. First printing with "First Edition" on the copyright page. R.U.R. was first published in Czech in Prague in 1920. "This play was first performed in 1921 in Prague and has since that time been translated and performed throughout the world. The word robot which Josef Capek coined for the play, based on the Czech word robota, 'forced labor,' has become a part of most modern languages." - Lewis, Utopian Literature, pp. 38-9. Anatomy of Wonder (1976) 2-37; (1981) 2-13; (1987) 2-15; (1995) 2-16; and (2004) II-214. Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years 358. Negley, Utopian Literature 182. Survey of Science Fiction Literature IV, pp. 1837-43. Bleiler (1978), p. 39. Reprints of this book are fairly common, but first printing copies (marked "first edition" on copyright page) are scarce. Small chip to top of spine and small closed tears. 6¼" - 9½".…