Ultimo: An imaginative narration of life under the earth with projections by John Vassos and text by Ruth Vassos

TitleUltimo: An imaginative narration of life under the earth with projections by John Vassos and text by Ruth Vassos
Year for Search1930
AuthorsVassos, John(1898-1985), and Vassos, Ruth(1896?-1965)
Date Published1930
PublisherE. P. Dutton
Place PublishedNew York
KeywordsFemale author, Italian author, Male author, Romanian author, UK author, US author
Annotation

Flawed utopia. A new ice age forces people to develop a new society underground where the heat of the earth's core is balanced by the ice above. Almost all travel stops, and there is no communication among cities. Industry, which is mostly for the production of food, is separate from housing. The little work needed is distributed equally. No money. Population kept balanced. No marriage. No crime. Unrest results from the monotony of life and rules become necessary.

Illustration

Heavily illustrated.

Holding Institutions

MoU-St, NcD, PSt

Author Note

John Vassos (1898-1985), a designer and illustrator, was born John Plato Vassacopoulos in Romania of Greek parents, was educated in Turkey, served in the British army in World War I, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1918.  Ruth (1896?-1965). Various dates are given for Ruth Vassos's birth. 1895 and 1896 are the most common, but is her study of John Vassos, Danielle Shapiro says that Ruth was five years older than John; John Vassos Industrial Design for Modern Life (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2016), 3. 

Full Text

1930 Vassos, John (1898-1985) and Ruth Vassos (1896-1965). Ultimo: An imaginative narration of life under the earth with projections by John Vassos and text by Ruth Vassos. New York: E.P. Dutton. Heavily illustrated. MoU-St, NcD, PSt

Flawed utopia. A new ice age forces people to develop a new society underground where the heat of the earth’s core is balanced by the ice above. Almost all travel stops, and there is no communication among cities. Industry, which is mostly for the production of food, is separate from housing. The little work needed is distributed equally. No money. Population kept balanced. No marriage. No crime. Unrest results from the monotony of life and rules become necessary. John Vassos was born John Plato Vassacopoulos in Romania of Greek parents, was educated in Turkey, served in the British army in World War I, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1918. Female co-author.