Bogdanov, A. [Engineer Menni: A Fantastic Novel]. Inzhener Menni: Fantasticheskii roman.       

Moskva, Izdanie S. Dorovatovskogo i A. Charushnikova, 1913.
8vo, [4], 148 pp.

In original pictorial wrappers featuring a map of Mars. Unopened.
In good condition, wrappers professionally restored along spine, very faintly spotted, margins cut without losses of words or letters, owner signature to title in ink.

Rare first edition in original wrappers.      

This novel is the prequel to the renowned science fiction work 'Red Star' (1908), the first Bolshevik utopia. ‘Engineer Menni’ offers a detailed portrayal of the development of a communist society on Mars, tracing its evolution from feudalism to capitalism and the early stages of collectivism. This progression is explored through the generational conflicts between father and son across three generations.
The author, Alexander Bogdanov (Malinovsky; 1873–1928), was a physician, philosopher, science fiction writer, and Bolshevik revolutionary, a remarkable figure and pioneer in various fields. A true polymath, Bogdanov made groundbreaking contributions to blood transfusion, general systems theory, and cybernetics. As a key figure in the early history of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (later the Communist Party of the Soviet Union) and a serious rival to Lenin, rumors of his murder or even suicide circulated after his death. He died following a blood transfusion in which he used the blood of a student who was suffering from malaria and tuberculosis.
In 'Engineer Menni', Bogdanov introduced his concept of tektology, or organizational science - a universal theory aimed at unifying social, biological, and physical sciences by analyzing their underlying systems and relationships. Tektology is now considered a precursor to systems theory and synergetics. 
Lenin disliked the novel because it included the idea that Earth's natural conditions precluded the development of ideal socialism, calling it 'another case of Machism and idealism, though obscured'.
In 1924, Bogdanov published a poem titled 'A Martian Stranded on Earth', which was intended as an outline for a third novel, though he never completed it before his death.

OCLC locates one copy of this edition only: in the Duke University Library (the Glenn Negley Collection of Utopian Literature).