One of the most influential Czech writers of the 20th century (1890-1938) who introduced and made popular the word 'robot,' which first appeared in his 1921 play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). Extremely rare signed Czech book: R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots. First edition. Prague: Aventinum, 1920. Softcover, 6 x 8.75, 96 pages. Signed on the first page in fountain pen by the author, "Karel Capek." Autographic condition: fine, with light edge toning to the signed page. Book condition: VG-, with professional restorations made to losses on the spine and wrapper extremities, textblock clean but with several pages detached from the binding, and some light toning and soiling. Accompanied by a custom-made clamshell case.
This first edition of R.U.R., published in an edition of 2,000, preceded the play's premier in Prague in early 1921. It came stateside with performances in New York in 1922, and was released in an English translation in 1923. Karel Capek and his brother Josef derived 'robot' from the Czech word 'robota,' meaning 'forced labor,' and introduced the word in R.U.R.
Capek conceived his 'robots' as artificial biological beings, not as the mechanical automatons we associate with the word today. Still, they had all the characteristics of a modern robot, as explained in the play: 'Robots are not people. They are mechanically more perfect than we are, they have an astounding intellectual capacity, but they have no soul… They learn to speak, write, and do arithmetic. They have a phenomenal memory. If one read them the Encyclopedia Britannica they could repeat everything back in order, but they never think up anything original. They'd make fine university professors.'
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