Search Results: Books by hg wells

Very Good. Mars and the Imagination: A monumental and carefully curated collection of over 900 works of both fiction and non-fiction tracing the history of our understanding and obsession with the Red Planet. To begin exploring the collection, please see our description available on this page under "View the Collection". Background Mars and the Imagination was conceived and assembled by the experienced collector David Wenner - whose comprehensive collection on the history of physics now resides at the Niels Bohr Library of the American Institute of Physics - and represents much more than a "collection" of works. Through his years of research and study, Wenner was able to unearth important and previously unrecognized literary and historical texts, making new connections among them. Contextualized in such a way, the items in Mars and the Imagination collectively tell an illuminating story through primary sources that to our knowledge has not been previously attempted. It is the story of our… Read More

London: George Newnes, 1901. First English Edition; first binding. An extraordinary copy in the rare dust jacket. Aside from minor dust soiling of the edges and slight bumping at the foot of the spine, the book is as fine and bright as one might expect from the more than one hundred years of protection afforded by the jacket, which is virtually free of wear and has slight dust soiling to the spine of the dust jacket,

London: George Newnes, Limited, 1901. The First Men in the Moon tells the story of a journey to the Moon undertaken by the two protagonists: a businessman narrator, Mr. Bedford; and an eccentric scientist, Mr. Cavor. Bedford and Cavor discover that the Moon is inhabited by a sophisticated extraterrestrial civilisation of insect-like creatures they call "Selenites".

New York: Edward Arnold, 1897. First American Edition; with some minor textual differences and an epilogue not included in the English edition. Some cloth soiling and wear; some old, hardly noticeable mending to the front endpaper; very good in a custom clamshell box. Presentation copy; inscribed by Wells with two drawings, “[drawing of a fireplace and a chair and a steaming bowl] To J. Maclaren Cobban, from H.G. Wells [drawing of a small figure - presumably Wells - with a bowl labeled ‘GRUEL’] When they were both ill. 1898.” Cobban was primarily a novelist of adventure and fantasy fiction, and was also a contributor to the Strand Magazine. Inscribed copies of the Wells “scientific romances” are especially scarce.

New York: Holt, 1895. First edition, first issue, with the author's name printed H.S. Wells on title page. vii, 216, [2, blank], [6, ads] pp. 1 vols. 12mo. Tan cloth, titled in purple, t.e.g. Spine a bit faded. Bookseller ticket of Arey & Jones, San Diego. Very good plus. First edition, first issue, with the author's name printed H.S. Wells on title page. vii, 216, [2, blank], [6, ads] pp. 1 vols. 12mo. H.G. Wells' First Book. In The Time Machine, H.G. Wells' time traveler visits the distant future and brings back a report that human society has diverged into the Eloi, who appear to live an idle, pastoral existence, and the Morlocks, who dwell underground; he then voyages further into the future where all signs of intelligent life have perished and a round thing hops fitfully beside a blood red ocean. The early novels of Wells, including The War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau, display a remarkable capacity for extrapolation, but it is his first, The Time Machine, which establishes… Read More

hardcover. near fine. 28 vols., publisher's 3/4 burgundy morocco, raised bands, spine panels pictorially gilt with floral decorations, gilt tops., by Stikeman, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, others untrimmed. Frontispieces with tissue-guards, title pages printed in red and black. New York: Scribner's, 1924 -1927. Limited Edition. Near Fine.<br/> <br/> A handsome set of the Atlantic Edition. Signed by H.G. Wells on the limitation page. Deluxe edition, number 671 of 1,050 sets signed by the author.<br/> <br/>

London: William Heinemann, 1895. First English Edition; preceded by the American edition (which had significant textual differences). Original cloth; later issue with purple stamping, but with no advertisements bound in. The book was originally issued in printed wrappers and in cloth; some of the unsold copies in wrappers were rebound in cloth, and other sheets were bound later in cloth as needed. Some cloth stains; foxing; very good; in a custom quarter-morocco clamshell box. Inscribed by the author inside the front cover, “Louis J Heath, warm regards, H.G. Wells, Washington May 12 34.” This pastedown with the inscription is on a slightly different paper than the other endpapers, leading to the inescapable conclusion that it must have originated in another copy.

NY: Duffield, 1906. 12mo. 249 pp. Original yellow-stamped blue-green cloth.; somewhat shaken, some leaves roughly opened, but a very good copy. First American edition, third issue, with the original Stone & Kimball sheets and a new title page cancel for Duffield. Signed by Wells on the half-title below a self-caricature, showing himself seated and holding a cup of tea; the drawing by Wells is much larger (approximately 2 3/4 x 2 1/4 inches) than those previously publicized, though they are by no means common. The first American edition was published by Stone & Kimball in 1896; the next year, the Stone & Kimball sheets were issued by Stone, in a new binding stamped with his name only at the base of the spine. In 1906 Duffied purchased "the entire goodwill, assets, plates, sheets, and publishing plant of the Stone Company" (Kramer History of Stone & Kimball, p. 136). Included were copies of the Stone issue, in the Stone binding, for which Duffield printed a new title page, as here.

London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1924-27. H.G. Wells is best remembered for his science fiction novels, and is called the father of science fiction, along with Jules Verne. His most notable works include The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).

London: William Heinemann, 1898. First edition, first issue of this science fiction cornerstone. Octavo, original gray cloth lettered in black. Currey's state (A) with 16 pages publisher's advertisements at end dated Autumn 1897. In fine condition. Accompanied by an autograph letter signed by and entirely in the hand of H.G. Wells. On Wells; Spade House Sandgate letterhead, the letter is addressed to Frank Harris and reads in part, "My dear Frank, This is much more to my taste. I think there's the making of a very amusing play here. It's a slight 'play' as plays are usually considered, buy the great thing is that the interest keeps on... Yours, H.G." The recipient, Frank Harris, was an Irish-American editor, novelist, short story writer, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day including H.G. Wells, Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example. "The War of the Worlds is a tour de force whose… Read More

London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1914. First edition, first issue of Wells' prophetic novel predicting the arrival of atomic weaponry with the publisher listed as Macmillan and Co. Limited (as opposed to Ltd.), 8 pages of advertisements at rear, and no statement of printing to the copyright page. Octavo, original cloth stamped in blind with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, top edge gilt. Association copy, inscribed by H.G. Wells to George Bernard Shaw, "G.B.S. from H.G." Like Wells, George Bernard Shaw used writing fiction as a vehicle to disseminate his political, social and religious ideas. Wells and Shaw connected when Wells joined the gradualist Fabian society in 1903. Shaw had, since the mid 1880s, been a dedicated member and advocated its message of moderation in the face of a debate regarding the option to embrace anarchism. In the years following the 1906 election, Shaw felt that the Fabians needed fresh leadership and saw this in the form of Wells. Wells, however, held views at… Read More

London: Heinemann, 1898. First Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. 1st edition. This copy's ads parallel publication day, listing no books published after 1898. They signal 1 of 5 binding states, the others being copies with no ads, 2 different 32 page catalogs, and one of 16 pages dated 1897 which is early, but maybe too early, so not proof of the 1st binding as it may (logically) have been used after more current ads had been exhausted. Some rubbing, else near fine, with an unobtrusive owners stamp—scarce when it's so clean, the gray cloth notably prone to soiling. Custom quarter buffalo and handmade paper box. In only a dozen years the late Victorian reader got Haggard's King Solomon's Mines (1885), Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde (1886), Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (1887), Wilde's Dorian Gray (1890), Kipling's Jungle Book (1895), Stoker's Dracula (1897), and Wells' Time Machine (1895), Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), Invisible Man (1897) and then, War of the Worlds. All were instantly identified as literary… Read More

Charles Scribner's sons, 1924. Soft Cover. Fine. Number of books: 28 books in total

Munich: Dreilander Verlag, 1920. Collection of 38 issues of the landmark Weimar-era periodical highlighting fantasy, horror, and early science fiction stories. Text in German. One of the world's first fantasy periodicals, (alongside the Swedish "Hugin") "Der Orchideengarten" featured a mix of new German stories alongside translations of foreign literature (largely French), including works by Victor Hugo, Guy de Maupassant, Voltaire, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Joseph Capek, H.G. Wells, and many others. The magazine also made forays into the proto-science fiction genre, as seen in Vol. 2 No. 4, entitled "Phantastik der Technik." A true product of the Weimar era's cultural blossoming, the magazine also features stunning illustrations both with its two- and three-color cover art and its woodcut reproductions throughout: sinister yet elegant visions of anthropomorphic flowers, religious idols, Grim Reapers, and gory deaths. "Der Orchideengarten" featured the work of Gustave Dore, Otto… Read More

1906. WELLS, H.G. La Guerre des Mondes. Translated from the English by Henry D. Davray. 235, [10] pp., illustrated with 32 full-page plates by Henri Alvin-Correa included in the pagination and numerous large headpieces, tailpieces, initials, and vignettes illustrating the text; title-page printed in red and gold. 4to, 330 x 260 mm., bound in the original binding of publisher's wrappers over boards with calf spine, in a new cloth folding box. Brussels: L. Vandamme, 1906. A sheer delight of science fiction. This imaginative illustrated work by Henri Alvin Correa (1876-1910), a little-known but extremely gifted Brazilian artist who trained with Detaille and Jean Brunet, still remains a captivating illustrated book over 100 years after it was published. The turn-of-the-century illustrations of the invading Martians, their human captives, and destroyed cities provide a perfect complement to Wells' apocalyptic text. That this work has remained almost completely unknown can only be… Read More

1901. WELLS, H.G. Les Premiers Hommes dans la Lune. Translation by Henry-D. Davray. Illustrations by Martin van Maële. 8vo, 270 x 172 mm., in publisher's polychrome binding. Paris: Félix Juven, [1901]. First edition in French. A superb copy of the French edition of The First Men in the Moon, in the spectacular polychrome binding with the highly imaginative illustrations by Martin van Maële. Of the greatest rarity. OCLC lists only the Bibliotheque Nationale copy.

London and New York: Harper & Brothers, 1899. Hardcover. Very Good. Hardcover. First Edition. An excellent Author's Presentation Copy, inscribed "C.F.A. Voysey from H.G. Wells." Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) was a prolific writer in many genres but is best remembered for his science fiction novels, of which this is one. This dystopian work was first published in 1899, but Wells revised it in 1910 and published it as When the Sleeper Awakes. He was dissatisfied with this first version, saying it was written when he was under time pressures. The recipient is Charles Voysey, an important English architect and designer who was influenced by the Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau movements. In 1900 he was the architect for Spade House, which Wells built in 1900 and lived in for the succeeding decade. Laid in is a Raphael Tuck and Sons "real photograph" postcard of Wells that is contemporary with the book and signed in ink below the image. Such an early photograph of Wells is uncommon and signed ones are… Read More

New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1924-1927. . Atlantic edition, 28 volumes, 8vo, limited to 1050 sets for the U.S.A., signed by the author, photogravure frontispiece to each volume, modern burgundy half-morocco gilt, original spine labels tipped-in at rear, a complete and very handsome set. The best edition of Wells' works, with the author's revisions to the texts, special Preface to each volume, and general introduction to the set. A list of titles is available on request but the set includes all the classics such as War of The Worlds, The Invisible Man, First Men In The Moon, The Time Machine, Mr. Polly, etc.Wells' works were banned from 1933 to 1945 by the ruling National Socialist party following the author's criticism of the political situation in Germany.

Number 115 of 620, London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1924 - 27;Volume 1 signed by the author; three-quarter red leather binding with red cloth sides [27 volumes] Note: Volume 23 is clothHis most notable works include The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898). T. Fisher Unwin 1924-27, London, 1924.

New York and London: The Village Press, Mitchell Kennerley, 1911. First Edition. First Edition. Folio. Original beige cloth backed light maroon paper covered boards with central bold gilt lettering on cover, printed paper label on spine. A wonderful Association Copy: Mitchell Kennerley's Own Copy of this celebrated book which he published and helped design, and laid in is a PROOF of a floriated border used as the first headpiece in the book (the bears pencil notation denoted number, and sizing, etc). As well, Kennerley's copy also has laid in a holograph note he wrote describing the book: "Frederick W. Goudy/ composition by Bertha Goudy at the Village Press, Kennerley Type specifically designed for this volume by Frederic W. Goudy (see Cary bibliography of The Village Press." The TRUE FIRST EDITION, complete with 10 exquisite photogravures from plates prepared by the artist and printed under his personal supervision. Printed by Bertha S. Goudy of the Village Press, NY with "Kennerley" type designed… Read More