Altneuland
Theodor Herzl
Leipzig, 1902
 
First edition, first printing of Herzl’s utopian novel - his vision of a Jewish state. The title page bears his motto, “If you will it, it’s no dream.” Originally titled New Zion, its later renaming was inspired by Europe’s oldest active synagogue, Altneuschul.
 
Original cloth, top-edge gilt. One corner frayed, small water stain along the lower gutters, covers with a few minor blemishes, else Near Fine. An unusually bright, beautiful copy in a rare deluxe binding by the famed Leipzig bookbindery, Hubel and Denck - the shop produced special bindings for numerous publishers.
 
A remarkably scarce copy of a truly consequential book - its reverberations quite evident today.