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Details
CAPEK, Karel (1890-1938). R.U.R. Rossum's Universal Robots. Prague: Aventinum, 1920. 8° (213 x 140mm). (One gathering detached but present, one leaf with a tear touching some letters, some soiling.) Original brown cloth-backed printed wrappers, pink endpapers (spine chipped and with tears, extremities rubbed). Provenance: a contemporary theatrical company (annotations).
FIRST EDITION OF THE BOOK WHICH COINED THE WORD 'ROBOT'. Capek's dramatic exploration of advancing automation, and the near-universal fear of machines supplanting humans, was an immediate worldwide success. R.U.R. premiered in Prague early in 1921, was performed in New York in 1922, and issued in English translation in 1923. It was eventually translated into all the major languages. This copy shows annotation suggesting that it was used by an actor playing the role of Dr Gall. This copy appears to be in a variant binding with a cloth spine. Origins of Cyberspace 249.
FIRST EDITION OF THE BOOK WHICH COINED THE WORD 'ROBOT'. Capek's dramatic exploration of advancing automation, and the near-universal fear of machines supplanting humans, was an immediate worldwide success. R.U.R. premiered in Prague early in 1921, was performed in New York in 1922, and issued in English translation in 1923. It was eventually translated into all the major languages. This copy shows annotation suggesting that it was used by an actor playing the role of Dr Gall. This copy appears to be in a variant binding with a cloth spine. Origins of Cyberspace 249.