18.5 × 13.5 cm. 270, [2] pp. Original publisher’s printed wrappers. First edition of one of the earliest and most important works of Russian and Soviet science fiction. This is the original, unabridged version, issued under the subtitle Sunset of Mars, prior to the later ideological revisions made by the author. The text preserves the full, uncensored form of the novel as initially conceived. Written in emigration in 1922, Aelita became a landmark in Russian literature as one of the first genuinely artistic science fiction works. Later Soviet editions (notably the 1937 revision for Detgiz) were significantly altered and adapted for a younger audience, making this early version particularly desirable. SKUlomMS100027