The Three Body Problem Trilogy signed by Cixin Liu first editions 2015-16
LIU, Cixin
[The Remembrance of Earth's Past Trilogy]: The Three Body Problem; The Dark Forest; Death’s End
London: Head of Zeus Ltd. in association with Goldsboro Books, 2015-2016
8vo., 3 vols; blue, burgundy and red boards, respectively lettered in silver, gilt and white to backstrips, all with publisher’s device to foot; together in the highly decorative dust wrappers by Stephen Martiniere (all unclipped, £16.99/£18.99/£18.99); pp. [vii], 6-399, [i]; [vii], 6-512; [vii], 6-604, [iv]; with decorative limitation, title pages, and part headings; fine copies all.
Limited editions, No. 180 of just 250 copies signed (Vol I also dated) by the author and translators Ken Liu and Joel Martinsen. Vol III includes a bookmark from Goldsboro books loosely tipped in. Published simultaneously with the first trade edition, the trilogy originally appeared in Science Fiction World in the Republic of China 2006 before being published as a standalone work in 2008 by Chongqing Publishing Group. In 2014, the book was picked up by American publishers Tom Doherty Associates and appears here as the first UK edition.
Cixin Liu was born in Beijing and raised in Yangquan before working as a computer engineer at a power plant in Shanxi province. A prolific reader, he cites George Orwell and Arthur C. Clarke as strong literary influences which went on to impact his own science fiction writing. His first book, China 2185 was published in 1989, and is widely regarded as the first cyberpunk Chinese novel. It was, however, the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy which shot him to fame, with Ken Liu's 2014 translation (published by Tor Books) winning the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel - he was the first author from Asia to win the prize.
Focusing on themes such as social inequality, scientific development and ecological limitations impacting humanity, Liu’s complex series details humanity’s discovery of - and preparation for - an alien invasion force from the planet Trisolaris. The three sun-like stars from which the extraterrestrial entities originate are a representative example of the three-body problem in orbital mechanics. The books also centre around concepts of world government, consequentialism and surveillance societies.
Translators Ken Liu and Joel Martinsen were commissioned by the China Educational Publications Import and Export Corporation (CEPIEC) to produce the translations, with each volume containing footnotes explaining references to Chinese history that may have potentially been unfamiliar to international audiences. The books were recently adapted into a Netflix series on which Liu served as consulting producer.
A stunning set.