Landmark Books in All Fields
ItemID: #113859
Cost: $2,400.00

Currents of Space

Isaac Asimov

INSCRIBED BY ISAAC ASIMOV TO SCI-FI AUTHOR DAVID HARTWELL

ASIMOV, Isaac. The Currents of Space. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1952. Octavo, original blue paper boards, original dust jacket. $2400.

First edition, presentation copy, of Asimov's third novel, inscribed on the title page to an influential American critic, publisher, and editor of thousands of science fiction and fantasy novels: "To David Hartwell with best wishes. Isaac Asimov."

"Asimov's fame as a science fiction writer grew steadily from 1940, and next to Heinlein he was the most influential science fiction writer of his era… Asimov's first three published novels—Pebble in the Sky (1950), The Stars, Like Dust (1951) and The Currents of Space (1952)— are set earlier in the galactic empire of The Foundation stories" (Clute & Nicholls, Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 56-7). This copy is inscribed by Isaac Asimov to David Hartwell, "perhaps the single most influential book editor of the past forty years in the American [science fiction] publishing world" (Encyclopedia of Science Fiction). Hartwell began his career at Signet, Berkley Putnam, and Pocket, founding both the Timescape imprint and creating the Pocket Books Star Trek publishing line. Hartwell went on to become a senior editor at Tor/Forge. Hartwell edited the critically acclaimed Cosmos magazine and founded The New York Review of Science Fiction. Hartwell chaired the board of directors of the World Fantasy Convention and, with Gordon Van Gelder, was the administrator of the Philip K. Dick Award. Additionally, Hartwell was heavily involved in both editing science fiction/fantasy anthologies and writing original essays on genre fiction. Hartwell was nominated for the Hugo Award 41 times and won three of those times.

Book with mild toning to extremities, dust jacket with faint soiling, small closed tear, and light wear to extremities. A near-fine inscribed copy with an outstanding association.

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