The Absolute at Large
Language: English
Published by Hyperion Press, Inc., Westport, 1974
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: Quercus Rare Books, Chico, CA, U.S.A.Quercus Rare Books
AbeBooks seller since January 26, 2005
Association member: IOBA
Condition: Used - Fine
£ 58.48
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Westport: Hyperion Press, Inc., 1974. Originally published serially in 1922, this is a dystopian satire, with religious fervor somehow released by nuclear fission. Capek, a master of dystopia, eventually would write "War With the Newts," considered one of the greatest speculative fiction novels of the XXth Century. This is a Fine copy of a reprint of the 1927 Macmillan edition, part of the "Classics of Science Fiction" series. Gray cloth binding, decorated and lettered in black. Clean text; v, 242 pages. The Introduction is by William E. Harkins. No dustjacket; in an archival plastic protector. Reprint Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
Seller Inventory # 003089
- Title
- The Absolute at Large
- Author
- Capek, Karel
- Publisher
- Hyperion Press, Inc., Westport
- Publication year
- 1974
- Condition
- Fine
- Dust jacket
- No Jacket
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0883551047
- ISBN 13
- 9780883551042
- Edition
- Reprint Edition.
- Seller catalogs
- Speculative Fiction
This story centers on the invention of a reactor that can annihilate matter to produce cheap and abundant energy. Unfortunately, it produces something else as a by-product, the absolute. The absolute is a spiritual essence that according to some religious philosophies allegedly permeates all matter. It is associated with human religious experience, as unsuspecting humanity is to find out all too soon in the story. The widespread adoption of the reactors causes an enormous outpouring of pure absolute into the world. This leads to an outburst of religious and nationalist fervor, causing the greatest, most global war in history.
R. D. Mullen called the novel "one of the genuine masterpieces of SF", but noted that due to its originality "it has surely had no great influence on popular SF".
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
"Capek offers the tale of a machine capable of generating limitless energy that also releases the unknown spiritual essence locked within physical matter, with cataclysmic results."―Library Journal (Library Journal)
"The Absolute at Large goes beyond the religious fervor of Nazism, foreshadowing the collectivization of Communism and the emergence of a free market too wide for any known West."―Village Voice (Village Voice)
"A satirical science fiction classic. . . . Though Capek wrote The Absolute at Large more than 80 years ago, it absolutely retains its wit and relevance today."―Donna McCrohan Rosenthal, News Review (Donna McCrohan Rosenthal News Review)
"Capek's dialog is fantastic, his characters richly drawn. But his vision of a world transcendently captivated by an apparent higher calling and then hoodwinked into war for nine years over a source of fuel is so prescient, it makes the novel seem like it was written today."―Cara Hoffman, NPR's All Things Considered (Cara Hoffman NPR's All Things Considered)
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Quercus Rare Books
Chico, CA, U.S.A.
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 5 to 14 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 18.93 | £ 30.28 |
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Store description
Quercus Rare Books has been an online resource for readers and collectors since 1999. We seek to provide noteworthy books in the First Edition. Our main focus is Modern Literature, in particular the great Irish writers of the early 20th Century. We also specialize in Irish History and the Politics of Ireland's liberation. Other areas of interest are American History and significant works of the 18th-and 19th-century. Quercus is a Member of IOBA - the Independent Online Booksellers Association.
Specialty
Irish History and Politics, Irish authors, Modern fictionAssociation member
Seller's business information
Quercus Rare Books
CA, U.S.A.
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