Star Maker (First Edition)

London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1937. FIRST EDITION, first printing. This is the rare original trade paperback issued in the same year as the hard cover. This book is much rarer than the hardcover in dust jacket ($4000 - $12000). Front cover is worn with splitting at the front cover and spine, no previous owner's names, not exlibrary. pp.[i-iv] v-ix [x] xi-xii 1-339 [340: the printer's imprint]. Overall in FAIR condition only. Still a very desirable and a rarely seen first edition. Photos available upon request. Star Maker is an influential science fiction novel by Olaf Stapledon, written in 1937. Star Maker is a cornerstone work of science fiction. Stapledon undertakes the immense task of describing the entire history of life in the universe. It dwarfs in scale even his 1930 book Last and First Men, which is a history of the human species over two billion years. It tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and creator, and it succeeds in evoking a sense of the sheer scale and complexity of the cosmos. The narrator starts with a concern at the clash of ideas on Earth and finds analogies to both communism and fascism among the aliens he visits. A pervading theme is that of progressive unity within and between different civilizations. Some of the elements and themes briefly discussed prefigure later fiction concerning genetic engineering and alien life forms. It has long been considered to be one of the finest works of science fiction ever written. . First Edition. Soft Cover. Fair. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Paperback.