Jacques Sternberg, Une Succursale du Fantastique nommée SCIENCE-FICTION

Rare pioneering essay on science fiction by Jacques Sternberg, central figure of Belgian fantastic literature in the twentieth century. First original edition published by Le Terrain Vague, the legendary Parisian publishing house of Éric Losfeld that was a crossroads of French avant-garde in the 1950s-60s. Preface by Jacques Bergier, the celebrated writer and science journalist who would later revolutionize popular culture with 'The Morning of the Magicians'. Extraordinary photographic cover with iconic alien creatures from the science fiction cinema of the era. Back cover enriched by an original drawing by Siné, the caustic cartoonist who would become one of the most irreverent voices of French satire. Copy in good general condition, with typical signs of wear from wrappers of the period. An essential document for understanding the critical reception of science fiction in France during the years of its literary consecration.