Aldous Huxley

HUXLEY, Aldous (1894-1963). Brave New World. London: Chatto & Windus, 1932.

First trade edition. Huxley’s haunting dystopian novel appeared first in a limited US edition on 21 January 1932, quickly followed by British limited and trade editions simultaneously published on 2 February. ‘The novel, the first about human cloning, is a dystopia set five centuries in the future, when overpopulation has led to biogenetic engineering. Through computerized genetic selection, social engineers create a population happy with its lot. All the earth's children are born in hatcheries, and Soma, a get-happy pill, irons out most problems. Huxley wrote to George Orwell suggesting that Nineteen Eighty Four's vision of governmental autocracy was less likely than Brave New World's society amusing itself to death’ (ODNB). Connolly, The Modern Movement 75; Bromer A29.

Octavo. Half-title, original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt, top edge pale blue (minor split in text block, lower rear corner just bumped); original pictorial dust-jacket (2 short neat tears, a few minor nicks, very minor rubbing at hinges).