Books

London; Victor Gollancz, 1971., 1971. Hard Cover. First British Edition. Octavo, pp. 256. Publishers' maroon cloth with gilt titles to spine in striking Gollancz canary yellow dust-jacket. Lower corner of lower board a little bruised, and spine tips slightly rubbed. Text-block edge and front free endpapers lightly foxed. Minor loss and some rubbing to spine tips with minor loss to head of jacket spine. No annotations or inscriptions. The second title in the original Dune trilogy and Herbert's counterpoint to Dune. Set twelve years after the original novel Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides' is now Emperor of the known Universe and must battle to reign in the forces he has unleashed. Galaxy Science Fiction called Dune Messiah "Brilliant... It was all that Dune was, and maybe a little more." Scarce.

In Frank Herbert's seminal science fiction novel "Dune," the intricate tale unfolds across a distant future where noble families vie for control over the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the highly coveted spice melange. The Atreides family, led by Duke Leto Atreides and his son Paul, assumes stewardship of Arrakis, navigating a perilous political landscape rife with treachery and ambition. As Paul adapts to the harsh desert environment, he encounters the Fremen, Arrakis's indigenous people, and discovers his latent abilities tied to their prophecy of a messianic figure known as the Kwisatz Haderach. Paul grapples with his destiny, mastering the complexities of politics, religion, and warfare while confronting personal struggles and ethical dilemmas. The novel explores themes of power, ecology, religion, and the human condition, set against a richly imagined backdrop of a desert planet teeming with political intrigue and mystical intrigue.