1115 - Harbou, T. (G.) v.

Harbou, T. (G.) v. Metropolis. Novel. With 8 full-page illustrations based on stills from the film of the same name. 11,000–20,000 copies of “the inexpensive (abridged) edition.” Berlin, August Scherl (1926). 8°. 193, (3) pp. with 8 plates. Color illustrations. Original cardboard cover by W(ilhelm Albert Walter) Reimann. Barron 3-23. Bleiler, Science Fiction 1940. Holstein p. 211 (paperback edition). Kosch VII, 318 ff. NDB VII, 645 ff. Rössler, Filmfieber p. 116. - Second printing of the first edition and first illustrated edition. - Signed by Thea v. Harbou on the inside front cover. - This paperback edition was also published simultaneously with the cover illustration by Werner Graul. - T. G. von Harbou (1888–1954) “forwent psychology and characterization in her novels in favor of a bombastic, melodramatic portrayal of the soul and a gripping plot. - Her work as a screenwriter is of particular significance. She played a decisive role in shaping the style of Fritz Lang’s silent films, which tended toward the monumental—partly architecturally austere, partly fantastical and legendary. ... Her outstanding talent for translating a plot into the visual language of film is particularly evident in her adaptations of literary works. ... H. has exerted a significant influence on the development of German cinema; she is by no means merely a “busy, routine writer” (R. Burgmer in NDB). - Rare paperback edition featuring a cover illustration by the painter, production designer, and screenwriter W. A. W. Reimann (1887–1936), who as early as 1919 designed the sets and costumes for the Expressionist film classic *The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari*. - Cover slightly rubbed, spine and back cover slightly stained, only a few scattered brown spots; a good copy.