London: Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1932. First edition, first issue. A work of considerable depth, Stapledon's novel describes the history of humanity from the present onwards across two billion years. Through a conceit that a member of a future human species has channeled the text through him, the narrator relates the evolution of the human race across eighteen different species, of which our own is the first and the future being responsible for sending the text to the narrator belongs to the last. The history relies on Hegelian Dialectic, consisting of a repetitive cycle in which civilizations rise and fall from savagery, with each successive race reaching greater heights than the first. The novel has borne extensive weight among future authors, influencing C. S. Lewis's theological science fiction Space Trilogy, Arthur C. Clarke, and H. P. Lovecraft. In original first state dust wrapper, which is a touch faded to spine, has chips to edges, three short tears to back, creasing along spine, and small stains to front and back panel, else very good. Book itself bound in blue cloth over boards with gilt lettering, minor bumps to corners and ends of spine, with very minor foxing to pages of text block, else a fine and square copy. Bookplate of Adrian Homer Goldstone, avid collector and bibliographer of Arthur Machen and John Steinbeck, on front paste-down. (Barron, 2-119).

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Bookseller: Bromer Booksellers (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 27750
Title: Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future
Author: Stapledon, W. Olaf
Book Condition: Used
Quantity Available: 1
Publisher: Methuen & Co. Ltd
Place of Publication: London
Date Published: 1932
Bookseller catalogs: Literature;

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About Bromer Booksellers

Bromer Booksellers specializes in rare and beautiful books. Owned and operated by Anne Bromer, who has been in the business of fine books for over fifty years, our shop carries a range of important private press books, designer bookbindings, illustrated books, children's books, and miniature books.

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Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Cloth: "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
Bookplate: Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
Gilt: The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
Bumps: Indicates that the affected part of the book has been impacted in such a way so as to cause a flattening, indention, or light...
Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Text Block: Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book....
First State: used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some...
Paste-down: The paste-down is the portion of the endpaper that is glued to the inner boards of a hardback book. The paste-down forms an...
Edges: The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
Spine: The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
First Edition: In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...