Bogdanov, A. [Red Star: A Utopia]. Krasnaia Zvezda: Utopia. 

S.-Peterburg, “T-vo Khudozhestvennoi Pechati”, 1908.
8vo, 156 pp.

In original wrappers and modern clamshell box.
In near good condition, rubbed, lightly bowed, minor soiling, small losses to spine, splitting to spine and title, curling to cover edges, short tears to cover, some dampstaining, pictorial bookplate ‘Ex Libris Villi Petritskogo' on front cover verso and bookplate stamp ‘Iz knig V.A. Petritskogo’ on title and last page.

Very rare first edition, especially in the original wrappers.

This first Bolshevik utopia, set in a communist society on Mars, is one of the earliest and most significant novels about the planet. In the story, the Martians, facing a shortage of radioactive materials, plan to colonize Earth and annihilate humanity. The protagonist, a revolutionary Earthling named Leonid, sets out to disrupt their plans. During his journey, he discovers a Martian society built on principles of gender equality, classlessness, and free love.
The novel features remarkably prescient descriptions of technologies that were unimaginable at the time, including jet engines, television, computers, nuclear power, and even environmental pollution.
A sequel titled ‘Engineer Menni’ was published in 1913 and met with sharp criticism from Vladimir Lenin himself.
The author, Alexander Bogdanov (born Malinovsky; 1873–1928), was a physician, philosopher, science fiction writer, Marxist intellectual, and one of the founders of the Russian socialist movement — a true polymath and visionary. He made pioneering contributions to blood transfusion, systems theory, and cybernetics. A major figure in the early Russian Social Democratic Labour Party and a serious rival to Lenin, Bogdanov's death remains shrouded in mystery, with rumors suggesting either suicide or political murder. He died after a blood transfusion using the blood of a student who was unknowingly infected with malaria and tuberculosis.
The novel was not translated into English until 1982.
This copy comes from the private library of Villi (Velimir) Petritskii (1931–2022), a culturologist, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, academic, and renowned book collector known for his research on the life and legacy of Albert Schweitzer.

OCLC locates two copies of this edition: in the University of Bern Library and the University of Warsaw Library.