The Mummy!

[WEBB LOUDON, Jane (1807-1858)]. The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century . London: Henry Colburn, 1827. First edition of a pioneering work of Science Fiction . Set in the year 2126, it describes an England filled with advanced technologies including steam-powered automaton lawyers and surgeons, coffee machines, and a sort of information highway akin to the Internet. The first English-language story to feature a reanimated Egyptian mummy, it was undoubtedly influenced by both the contemporary European fascination with Ancient Egypt and by the success of Mary Shelley’s own reanimation story, Frankenstein (1818). Bleiler, Science-fiction, the Early Years , 2313. Three volumes, 12mo (186 x 111mm). Without half-titles, vol. 3 first text leaf B1 lacking (lacking leaf supplied in expert facsimile, vol. 2 H2 blank corner torn away, vol. 1 G10 and K1 with 1" tear in gutter margin, a scattered few minor spots). 5 pp. publisher's ads at end of vol. 2. 19th century half calf over marbled boards, all edges marbled (rebacked with original spines laid down).

Estimate:$4,000

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