WELLS, H. G.
Rare books by H. G. Wells, including first editions, signed and finely bound copies of The War of the Worlds and Tales of Space and Time.
Herbert George Wells (1866–1946) is most commonly remembered as ‘The Father of Science Fiction’ due to his influential works The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, and The Invisible Man. Wells also produced an abundant body of work outside of the genre, both in fiction and non-fiction, including essays, social commentary, politics and history and novels.
WELLS, H. G. Les premiers hommes dans la lune.Paris : [1901]
First van Maële edition, the preferred issue, perhaps the most extraordinary graphic realization of Wells's classic lunar novel. This copy retains the exceptionally rare dust jacket, which features an illustration that appears neither in the book nor on the binding.
Van Maële's vivid depictions of the moon and its Selenite inhabitants...Learn More
WELLS, H. G. The Way the World is Going.London : 1928
First edition in book form. Writing in the aftermath of the First World War, Wells urges the need for global co-operation and warns against the dangers of unchecked nationalism.
The articles collected here were originally published in the Sunday Express in Britain and the New York Times in the USA. Chapters include "What is happening in...Learn More
WELLS, H. G. The War in the Air and Particularly how Mr. Bert Smallways Fared While it Lasted.London : 1908
First edition, in the second state binding with the front cover illustration, of Wells's prophetic science fiction, which predicted a number of advancements in aerial warfare, including the use of incendiary bullets against Zeppelins and balloons. This copy was owned by Harry Franklin (1895-1977), a Lincoln journalist who enlisted in the Royal...Learn More
WELLS, H. G. The Works.New York : 1924-27
The Atlantic Edition, number 542 of 1,670 copies signed by the author on the limitation leaf of Volume 1. Each volume includes a new preface by Wells.
In the introduction, Wells is reflective: "Here in these collected volumes are fantasy, fiction, discussion, and stated case, all openly and deliberately experimental, all in essence sketches...Learn More
WELLS, H. G.; COBURN, Alvin Langdon (illus.). The Door in the Wall and Other Stories.London : 1915
First edition, British signed limited issue, number 31 of 60 copies signed by both Wells and Coburn, the handwritten limitation statement facing the half-title and dated January 1915.
Considered Wells's most disturbing and evocative work of speculative fiction, The Door in the Wall "deals with a favourite Wellsian theme: the intrusion of...Learn More
WELLS, H. G. When the Sleeper Wakes.London : 1899
First edition, presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title to the architect who designed Wells's home, "C. J. A. Voysey from H. G. Wells", accompanied by a signed photograph of Wells, in the form of a postcard, loosely inserted. Voysey designed the grade II-listed Spade House, which still stands in Sandgate, in the same year this...Learn More
WELLS, H. G. The War of The Worlds.London : 1898
First edition, first issue, of this foundational work of modern science fiction, in which the author redeploys the conventions of the invasion-scare genre to imagine a force of seemingly invincible Martians.
The story was suggested by the author's brother, Frank. The two men were walking "through some particularly peaceful Surrey scenery"...Learn More
WELLS, H. G. The Works.New York : 1924-27
The Atlantic Edition, number 130 of 1,050 sets signed by the author on the limitation leaf of volume I and released for distribution in America, very handsomely bound. A further 620 sets were issued in Great Britain and Ireland. Wells contributed new prefaces especially for this edition.Learn More
WELLS, H. G. The Works.New York : 1924-27
A handsome set of the Atlantic Edition. Signed limited edition, deluxe issue, number 711 of 1,050 sets signed by the author on the limitation leaf of Volume I and released for distribution in America, of which 50 were reserved for presentation.
A further 620 sets were released by T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd, in Great Britain and Ireland, 20 of...Learn More
WELLS, H. G. The Works.London : 1924
The Atlantic Edition, one of a limited edition of 1,050 numbered copies signed by the author on the limitation leaf of which this is number 432, and with new prefaces written especially for this edition by the author. A handsomely bound set.Learn More
WELLS, H. G. The Works.London : 1924-27
Signed limited "Atlantic" edition, the preferred "London" issue, number 491 of 620 sets signed by the author on the limitation page of vol. I, for sale and distribution in Britain. A further 1,050 sets were produced and signed for the American issue, and are by far the more common of the two issues. The Atlantic edition is the finest collected...Learn More
WELLS, H. G. The Works.New York : 1924-27
The Atlantic Edition, number 605 of 1,670 sets signed by the author. "The text throughout is read and revised by the author, who has written a special preface to each volume as well as a general introduction to the set" (Wells, p. 61).Learn More
ROLFE, Frederick, Baron Corvo; H. G. Wells; Joseph Pennell; Max Beerbohm, and others. The Butterfly.[London : 1899-1900]
The complete New Series of the literary magazine The Butterfly. The monthly magazine first appeared in May 1893 and the first series lasted until February 1894. A New Series, published by Grant Richards, was begun in March 1899 and was discontinued after 12 issues in February 1900. The magazine contains writing by Laurence Housman, and...Learn More
WELLS, H. G. The Works.New York : 1924
The Atlantic Edition, deluxe issue bound in half morocco, number 618 of 1,050 sets signed by the author in volume I. "The text throughout is read and revised by the author, who has written a special preface to each volume as well as a general introduction to the set" (Wells, p. 61). Scribners offered the set in regular cloth bindings but also as...Learn More
WELLS, H. G. Floor Games.London : 1911
First edition, first impression. Written for the author's two sons, Floor Games explores the possibilities of imaginative play, city building, exploration, and war. Rare in the dust jacket.Learn More
