Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke - 1954

ont> Sidgwick and Jackson Limited : London, 1954 Book. Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. The first UK edition of this science fiction work by noted author Arthur C. Clarke. With dustwrapper featuring an oil portrait by Deborah Jones. The work was first published a year earlier in the USA. This is the first UK edition. Arthur C. Clarke was a British science fiction writer and inventor, who is widely regarded as a key figure in the popularisation of space travel. His screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was co-written with Stanley Kubrick, is considered to be one of the most influential films of all time. For many years Arthur C. Clarke, along with Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asmiov, were considered the 'Big Three' of science fiction writing. Childhood's End tells the story of a peaceful alien invasion of earth, leading to many years of apparent utopia at the cost of human identity and culture. Childhood's End is often regarded as Clarke's best novel and the themes of transcendent evolution are present in his later works, including the screenplay for 2001: A Space Odyssey. The story has also been adapted into radio and television shows. Condition: In a blue cloth binding in the original unclipped dustwrapper. Externally very smart with some slight wear to the head and tail of the spine. Slight sunning to spine and extremities of the boards. Slight offsetting to the endpapers. Dustwrapper is generally smart, with some slight loss to the extremities and the head of the small. Closed tear, approximately one inch long to head of the spine. Tidemarks to the reverse of the wrap. Handling marks to the wrap. Internally firmly bound. Pages bright and clean with just some marginal age toning. Overall Condition: Very Good in a Very Good dustwrapper.