Solaris, Stanislaw Lem
True first (Polish) edition, first printing of Lem's philosophical science fiction masterpiece. The novel follows a crew of scientists on a research station as they attempt to understand an extraterrestrial intelligence, which takes the form of a vast ocean on the planet Solaris. Combining "profound philosophical speculation with the structure of traditional action-adventure SF, embodied in a clear, vivid writing style " this is a major work by any measure (Anatomy of Wonder, 1995). Basis for three filmed adaptations, the most successful of which was Andrei Tarkovsky's iconic 1972 film.
Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, 1961. Publisher's original pictorial cloth wrappers and dust jacket, housed in a custom case of full black leather with gilt titling to spine. Slight lean to spine, wear with a bit of loss to spine tips, small spot of discoloration to top edge of text block, typical tanning, small owner's stamp to half-title, else internally clean. Jacket remains bright and vivid, light wear to extremities and rubbing along the joints. Overall, a very good copy of this fragile title.