Sotheby's is set to auction the original manuscript of Snow Crash, a 1992 novel that is widely attributed to have coined the term Metaverse.
Written by American author Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash posits a virtual reality world called the Metaverse, where users can interact with each other through virtual reality technology.
The term ‘Metaverse’ has since become synonymous with a shared virtual space that can be experienced through the use of virtual reality technology.
The auction is part of a February 23 series called Infocalypse that includes six physical and six digital items related to the famous book.
The manuscript is expected to fetch between $100,000 and $200,000 according to the auctioneers.
The lot will also include several other items related to the book, including a signed first edition and a promotional poster.
In addition to these physical items, the series will also contain digital art NFTs inspired by the graphic novel concept that preceded Snow Crash.
“This Snow Crash thing—is it a virus, a drug, or a religion?”
Sotheby’s is excited to announce Snow Crash – an offering of physical and digital items connected to the revolutionary 1992 science fiction novel by @nealstephenson. https://t.co/lvqYJKXWuU
Bidding opens 27 February. pic.twitter.com/SnkFVhpU1v
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) February 23, 2023
Under the hammer
As part of the auction series, several physical objects related to the graphic novel are being sold, including the original painting used as the cover art for the 1993 mass-market paperback edition of the book.
Also in the lot are a leather jacket intended for use in a video promotion, slides used during the concept phase of the graphic novel and a sword inspired by the weapon wielded by the protagonist in the story.
Under the Infocalypse series are images designed for, or derived from, Dioxin Posse, the graphic novel project that preceded Snow Crash, evoking the data-saturated dystopian setting and the titular image of the novel.
The project is a collaboration between Tony Sheeder, the artist behind Dioxin Posse, artist and software developer Sterling Crispin, and author Neal Stephenson, to mark the 30th anniversary of the publication of Snow Crash.