THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY: Being a Plain History of LIfe and Mankind. 24 Parts
by WELLS, H. G
- Used
- good
- first
- Condition
- Good
- Seller
-
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: George Newnes, 1919. First Edition. Wrappers. Good. Quartos, pictorial wrappers
Produced from 1919-1920, and issued fortnightly, this is the first appearance of his remarkable work. Parts 1 & 2 are rough, the remaining issues are very good - fine, with all covers present. In a breaking red cloth drop-spine, clamshell box. " I have been asked a couple of times why I am reading an out-of-date historical work. The last revision to the Outline in Wells’ lifetime was published in 1937. Later, Raymond Postgate updated it, trying to preserve the ‘voice’ of Wells (which I think he did a fine job of); and Wells’ son, G.P. Wells, updated the final edition in 1971. It appears that since the last update in 1971, more has been added to our understanding of history than overturned. Mostly, Wells was timeless in the unique way he chose to outline and summarize happenings and, more importantly, ideas, for he believed that “all human history is fundamentally a history of ideas.” - bookburningservice. The book proposed a new kind of history text book, underplaying the rivalry between nation states that Wells felt had contributed to the outbreak of the First World War. Note: in the process of selecting THE BEST BOOKS OF OUR TIME (1928), this work "received more votes than any other title in the referendum conducted by the 'International Book Review' to determine the ten best books of the Twentieth Century."
Produced from 1919-1920, and issued fortnightly, this is the first appearance of his remarkable work. Parts 1 & 2 are rough, the remaining issues are very good - fine, with all covers present. In a breaking red cloth drop-spine, clamshell box. " I have been asked a couple of times why I am reading an out-of-date historical work. The last revision to the Outline in Wells’ lifetime was published in 1937. Later, Raymond Postgate updated it, trying to preserve the ‘voice’ of Wells (which I think he did a fine job of); and Wells’ son, G.P. Wells, updated the final edition in 1971. It appears that since the last update in 1971, more has been added to our understanding of history than overturned. Mostly, Wells was timeless in the unique way he chose to outline and summarize happenings and, more importantly, ideas, for he believed that “all human history is fundamentally a history of ideas.” - bookburningservice. The book proposed a new kind of history text book, underplaying the rivalry between nation states that Wells felt had contributed to the outbreak of the First World War. Note: in the process of selecting THE BEST BOOKS OF OUR TIME (1928), this work "received more votes than any other title in the referendum conducted by the 'International Book Review' to determine the ten best books of the Twentieth Century."
Synopsis
The Outline of History, subtitled either "The Whole Story of Man" or "Being A Plain History of Life and Mankind," is a book by H. G. Wells published in 1919. Wells was very dissatisfied with the quality of history textbooks at the end of World War I, and so, between 1918 and 1919, produced a 1,324-page work which was published in serial softcover form in 1919, with the first hardcover edition appearing in 1920. The book met with popular acclaim and massive sales.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Thomas J. Joyce And Company
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 0011188
- Title
- THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY
- Author
- WELLS, H. G
- Format/Binding
- Wrappers
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- George Newnes
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1919
- Keywords
- wells, h. g. wells, outline of history,
Terms of Sale
Thomas J. Joyce And Company
Inventory is subject to prior sale. Inventory is returnable for any reason within seven days of receipt. Heavier items will be charged at the cost of the shipping fees, as will special requests.
About the Seller
Thomas J. Joyce And Company
Biblio member since 2005
Chicago, Illinois
About Thomas J. Joyce And Company
Joyce And Company has been in business as a professional rare bookseller and appraiser since 1975. Owner Thomas Joyce was the regular book appraiser on Home & Garden TV\'s \"The Appraisal Fair\\\" program, on international broadcasts. Thomas Joyce was the co-discoverer of George Washington's personal copy of William Leybourn's 1679 edition of THE COMPLEAT SURVEYOR, from which young Washington learned some of his surveying skills at age 16. The book had vanished for nearly a century until its re-discovery in 2017. It is now back at Mt. Vernon.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- G
- Good describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects must be noted. (as defined by AB...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Wrappers
- The paper covering on the outside of a paperback. Also see the entry for pictorial wraps, color illustrated coverings for...
- Clamshell Box
- A protective box designed for storing and preserving a bound book or loose sheets. A clamshell box is hinged on one side, with...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
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