Herbert, Frank (1965) ‘Dune’, US first edition, review copy in outstanding condition and handcrafted clamshell case

Frank Herbert (1965) ‘Dune‘, US first edition, first printing, published by Chilton Company. This is a rare review copy (no physical difference to the true first edition) which was sent ahead of publication (1 October 1965) to selected booksellers. The original review slip is loosely laid in. The book is unread and in breathtaking condition. Housed in a clamshell case with Dune design which protects the book perfectly.

Condition details: A fine copy in a near fine dust jacket for the harshest of judges with a bear minimum of shelf wear. There are no prevoius owners’ names, no inscriptions, no bookplates, not stamps etc. Internally clean and spotless. The boards are tight and clean, with no bumps, no lean. Very slight discoluration to the boards’ edges. The page block edges are white and NOT foxed. The dust jacket is original and UNRESTORED. It is the correct first issue wrapper with the USD 5.95 price and four lines of publisher information on the bottom rear flap. There is alittle of edge wear (a little rubbing), but no tears. Perhaps a slight fade on the spine of the jacket hard to capture on camera. The dust jacket is so thin and fragile as dust jackets in the 1960s were so that very few specimen will be found in better condition than our example.

The publication history of ‘Dune’ has become legendary. After researching sand dunes in Oregon Herbert got the idea to write the story. The novel was serialised in ANALOG magazine from Decmber 1963 onwards as ‘Dune World’ and ‘Prophet of Dune’. After 23 rejections by established publishers, Chilton Company, a car repair manual printing company, published the novel in October 1965. The print run was very low and about half of the initial run had to be discarded. Very few copies have survived in decent condition.

Dune remains the best science fiction novel of all time. It won the 1966 Hugo and Nebula Award. It has been described as the science fiction equivalent to Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ in fantasy in the book’s scope, depth, complexity and quality of writing. It has has a colossal influence on the sci-fi genre in literature and film. For exmaple, without ‘Dune’ ‘Star Wars’ would not have been made. ‘Dune’ has been adaped by David Lynch in 1984, and as a TV-mini series in 2000. An earlier attempt to film the source material by Alejandro Jodorowsky in the 1970s failed due to lack of finances. A star cast and the most creative team of that time had been working on the project and it bacame ‘the most influential film that was never made’. A new film adaptation is in the works by Canadian director Dennis Villeneuve who has made some outstanding science fiction fims in the past (‘Arrival’ and ‘Balde Runner 2049’), and so the hope remains that the new ‘Dune’ will live up to the quality of its source material.