Im Westen Nichts Neues (All Quiet on the Western Front)

Berlin: Im Propylaen-Verlag, 1929. First Edition. Near Fine/Very Good. First edition in book form of this iconic novel. A presentation copy signed and inscribed by Erich Maria Remarque on the front free endpaper, "This first edition copy with pleasure to Arthur W. Kelly." Kelly was a British film executive and perhaps Remarque was shopping his novel around for a potential film adaptation. In 1930, the novel was adapted into a critically acclaimed film directed by Lewis Milestone, and was the first talkie war film to win an Oscar. Bound in publisher's beige cloth lettered in maroon and black. Near Fine with light lean to binding, light toning to edges (truncated) and spine cloth, light worming primarily to textblock fore-edge and lighter-so on front free endpaper and half-title page, dust-soiling and foxing to top of textblock edge. In a Very Good dust jacket, with toning to and a small interior chip the spine panel, light chipping and wear to the edges and flap folds. A wildly successful novel which sold 2.5 million copies in 22 languages in its first eighteen months in print. Originally serialized in the Vossische Zeitung in late 1928, it was published here for the first time in book form in German in January 1929, preceding the English and American first editions. (Inventory #: 140943704)