The Long Tomorrow

The Long Tomorrow (1955) by Leigh Brackett is a post-nuclear novel set in a future America reorganized into isolated rural communities after atomic war. A Thirtieth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits any settlement of more than one thousand people, codifying the fear of cities and technology into law. The story follows two young cousins, Len and Esau, whose growing curiosity about the forbidden old world leads them beyond the limits of their Mennonite community. Brackett was better known for her planetary adventure fiction and screenwriting work, and this novel stands apart from the rest of her output as a restrained and carefully observed piece of post-apocalyptic fiction.

Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing. Octavo, cloth. New York: Doubleday, 1955. Hugo Award nominee (1956). Pringle, Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels (18). #10573.
Small ding to the bottom edge of front boards, else a fine copy in a nearly fine dust jacket with minimal wear and some creasing to the front flap. Overall, a sharp, bright copy.