10 Days, 10 New Acquisitions: Day Two

Metropolis by Thea van Harbou, 1st and 2nd editions, 1926 and 1927

The first (at right) and second editions of Thea van Harbou’s Metropolis are notable additions to the Glenn Negley Collection of Utopian Literature. Iconic as the basis for the 1927 expressionist film by Fritz Lang (von Harbou’s husband), the early editions are also notable for the striking graphic design of their covers. The second “photoplay” edition also features stills from the film. The editions were acquired as part of a large collection of German science fiction and fantasy from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.