Postanak sveta

Robert McMillan was an author of popular science works from the early 20th century. The book The Origin of the World was published in 1927 in Belgrade as part of a popular science library. It is an accessible presentation of the scientific knowledge of the time about the origin of the universe, the solar system, the Earth, geological processes and the origin of life. The book is intended for a wider audience, written in a clear, popular style without excessive scientific terminology.

The edition is especially appreciated for its cover, which was created by an unknown artist signed with the initials MB. It is a high-quality, but anonymous work by a Belgrade graphic designer from 1927. The cover is therefore particularly appreciated in circles of collectors of avant-garde and photomontage covers of ex-YU editions, precisely because of the mystery surrounding the author and its high aesthetic value.

The cover is made in the typical avant-garde spirit of the 1920s — it combines elements of constructivism and photomontage. The style is dynamic, geometric and modernist: it uses sharp angles, strong contrasts, photomontage compositions (a combination of photographic elements with graphic design), symbolic motifs of the universe, planets or creation (stars, nebulae, primitive life forms). The colors are intense (red, black, white or blue), typical of the constructivist aesthetic that came from the Soviet Union at the time and influenced the Yugoslav avant-garde.

Such a cover perfectly reflects the spirit of the era — a combination of science and modern art. While the content of the book is the popularization of science (in the spirit of popular scientific libraries of the 1920s), the exterior design is radical and avant-garde, which makes it a sought-after antiquarian copy in the categories “Ex Yugoslavia avant-garde covers” and “Photomontage Book Covers”.

The book is extremely rare today, especially in good condition with a preserved cover. It represents an interesting example of how scientific topics were popularized in the Kingdom of SHS/Yugoslavia through modern graphic design. The cover art style (MB) belongs to the most progressive currents of interwar design in the Balkans — functional, dynamic and futuristic, far ahead of the average publishing design of the time.