An early and ultimately unfinished work, Amerika was written between 1911 – 1914 but not published until three years after the author’s death in 1924. Amerika tells the story of a young immigrant named Karl Rossmann who, after an embarrassing sexual misadventure is sent away to the United States by his parents. Their hope is that he would redeem himself by becoming a part of the American Dream, but instead young Karl is swept up into a whirlwind of dizzying adventures, strange escapades, and meetings with a picaresque assortment of characters. Interestingly, Kafka never visited the U.S. but used information from what he heard and read to give credence to his images of the “golden land.”

This edition is immaculate and appears unread. The original dust jacket features one of the iconic designs of Alvin Lustig, a hall of famer with the AIGA and thus making the book collectible in its own right.

Note: some unusual staining, but can not confirm how/what it is. (Appears to be tape stain/residue.) The texture of the paper does not appear to be damaged/altered.