Three Novels: Hardubal; Meteor; An Ordinary Life

New York: A.A. Wyn, 1948. First American Edition. Octavo. 20cm. Publisher's vivid orange cloth titled in black to spine and front board. Dustjacket. Some darkening of the cloth at edges, with light fraying at spine ends, in a dustjacket with some toning and discoloration, with shallow chipping and loss to the edges. The verso of the printed dustjacket is a WW2 Ministry of Defense map of East Sumatra, a not unusual but still delightful aspect of post-war London publishing (essentially the Wyn imprint was identical to the UK edition, and was printed in London). Internally clean. Top edge stained orange. A handsome, readable copy of three of Čapek's notable novels, translated for English speaking audiences. The word genius was used frequently by Čapek's contemporary admirers, and perhaps unusually, remains applicable to the intensely observant and short lived author of "R.U.R.", the groundbreaking work that gave us the word "Robot.