Altneuland, Roman von Theodor Herzl. Leipzig: Hermann Seemann Nachfolger, [1902]. German.
First edition.
Utopian novel. A narrative expressing Theodor Herzl’s vision of a Jewish state. The title page bears Herzl’s motto: "Wenn ihr wollt, ist es kein Märchen" [If you will it – it is no dream].
Theodor Herzl composed his novel "Altneuland" ("The Old New Land") in the years 1899-1902 and originally titled it "New Zion". He changed the title to "Altneuland" later on, inspired by the name of Prague’s great Old-New Synagogue, the "Altneuschul". The book was translated into both Yiddish and Hebrew in 1902, the same year it was finally published in German (the translator Nachum Sokolow decided to title the Hebrew edition of the book "Tel Aviv", and a few years later, this name was applied to the newly founded "first Hebrew city"). Within a year, Herzl’s novel was translated into six languages.
A
particularly fine copy, in its original, elegant binding, stamped with the impression of the seal of the bookbinders "Hübel und Denck ", who produced a number of bindings for particularly valuable books published by the Hermann Seemann literary publishing company. Only some of the copies of the first edition of "Altneuland" were adorned with this special binding.
[2] leaves, 343, [5] pages. 18 cm. Good condition. Minor blemishes. Slight wear to binding.
