MINIMA MORALIA: REFLECTIONS FROM DAMAGED LIFE: THE FIRST HARDCOVER EDITION by Adorno, Theodor W. (Translated by E. F. N. Jephcott) - 1978

London, England: NLB Publishers/Schocken Books, 1978. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. London, England: NLB Publishers/Schocken Books, 1978. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 251 pages. Retrospective collection of brief essays. One of the greatest books of the 20th century. The first appearance of the title in English, simultaneously in the United Kingdom and in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the 2005 Verso Books Reissued Edition and the Softcover Edition. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now rare. Presents Theodor W. Adorno's "Minima Moralia: Reflections From Damaged Life" in the definitive English translation by E. F. N. Jephcott. Fragments of thoughts that mirror the fragmentation of modern life: Richer, fuller, and wiser than the whole books of other writers and thinkers. "A series of aphoristic reflections on everyday existence in the 'sphere of consumption of Late Capitalism', shifting in register from personal experience to the most general theoretical problems" (Publisher's blurb). A system-building thinker of the legendary Frankfurt School ("Minima Moralia" is dedicated to Max Horkheimer, the School's Founding Father), the book represents Adorno's unfettered, deeply felt, and personal (as opposed to "scholarly-serious") writing. At their best, they rise to heights of lyricism and poetry. Through no fault of our own, we are living a "damaged life" because we are busy or need to pretend to be busy. Deep down, we know this, and we do what we can to make the most of our minimal lives through freedom from work, through what we might call "play time". This hectic life may be characterized as "once", an interminable series of distractions. The ideal life is "forever", tarrying and immersion. The influence of this book on the most progressive contemporary thought cannot be overestimated: Rutger Bregman's "Utopia For Realists And How We Can Get There" (2017), which makes a compelling case for a 15-hour work-week, among other practical proposals, is indebted to "Minima Moralia". Adorno published a subsequent collection, "Prisms", which is, in effect, the companion volume to "Minima Moralia". An absolute "must-have" title for Theodor W. Adorno collectors. <b><i> This title is a great book. This is one of few copies of the 1978 First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (British and American) still available online and despite its imperfection (very slight fading on DJ spine, but it's there) is still in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a beauty. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent editions, particularly the 2005 Verso Books Reissued Edition and the Softcover Edition, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare copy thus. </b></i> One of the greatest writer-philosophers of the 20th century. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER THEODOR W. ADORNO AND WALTER BENJAMIN TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0902308955.