"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."
— P.J. O'Rourke
H. G. Wells | First Editions
1866 - 1946
Celebrated novelist and short story writer in the 'fantasy' and 'romance' genres, essayist, social philosopher and historian. Together with Jules Verne, frequently considered the grandfathers of modern science fiction. An apprentice draper, teacher and biologist prior to journalism. Played a vital part in disseminating the progressive ideas which characterized the early twentieth century, becoming one of Britain's foremost popular writers writers, with scientific fantasies such as The Time Machine (1895) The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), The War of the Worlds (1898), When The Sleeper Wakes (1899), The First Men In the Moon (1901, serialized in The Strand) and In The Days of the Comet (1906). He penned numerous strange tales for various periodicals, later gathered in his classic book collections The Stolen Bacillus (1895), Tales of Space and Time (1899), Twelve Stories and a Dream (1903) The Country of the Blind (1911) etc. He also wrote a range of comic social novels which proved highly popular, notably Kipps (1905) and The History of Mr Polly (1910). Many of his works made successful (sometimes classic) early films.See below our stock of H. G. Wells First Editions, fine bindings, sets and other collectible material.
Results 1 - 19 (of 19)
The Strand Magazine October 1898.
London: George Newnes. 1898. Featuring the first publication of Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Round the Fire' story no. 5, 'The Story of the Black Doctor', with 7 illustrations by Joseph Finnemore. Also first publication of H.G. Wells' 'Mr Ledbetter's Vacation', with 8 illustrations by Shepperson. 25 x 17cm. vol. xvi, no..... More
Contribute to The STRAND Magazine. The first 30 volumes. Edited by George Newnes.
London: George Newnes, 1891-1905. [Literary Magazine] FIRST THIRTY VOLUMES OF THE STRAND. A straight run of 30 volumes, from volume I to XXX. Includes the first publication of several novels and stories such as Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Return of Sherlock Holmes adventures, plus works..... More
Joseph Pennell's Pictures of War Work in England. Reproductions of a series of drawings and lithographs of the munition works made by him with the permission and authority of the British Government with notes by the artist and with an introduction by H.G. Wells.
London: William Heinemann, 1917. [War Art] FIRST EDITION. Large octavo (25 x 18cm), pp.xii; with 51 black and white plates, each with an accompanying descriptive leaf. Publisher's brown paper-covered boards with titles to plain cream label on spine and illustrated label over upper board. Offsetting to endpapers. Boards rubbed and..... More
The Time Machine.
London: Heinemann, 1895. First Edition. Octavo. Bound in contemporary red cloth with leather title labels to spine. Darkened to spine, minor shelfwear, a clean robust copy. This is a bound copy of the card wrappered first edition, as evidenced by the presence of the original card wraps bound in at..... More
The War in the Air, and Particularly how Mr. Bert Smallways Fared while it Lasted.
London: George Bell and Sons, 1908. [Scientific romance] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm), pp.viii; 389; [3]. With 16 black and white half-tone plates, including a frontispiece, after illustrations by Michaels. Late twentieth century blue full morocco with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and a gilt facsimile..... More
The First Men in the Moon.
London: George Newnes, 1901. [Classic fantasy] FIRST EDITION, in the first of three binding states. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[vii]; 342. Illustrated with 12 monochrome plates, some by Shepperson, some unattributed. Publisher's dark blue cloth with gilt decoration, black endpapers (followed by white endpapers, then the third binding of lighter..... More
Christina Alberta's Father
London: Jonathan Cape,.1925. [Fantasy novel]. FIRST EDITION. Crown octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.410. Publisher's burgundy cloth in dust jacket illustrated by John Austen. Some overall handling and dustiness, jacket with a few chips to spine. Shows well. The story tells how a retired laundryman suffered from delusions that he was..... More
The Dream.
Leipzig: Bernard Tauchnitz, [February 1925]. [Utopian Fiction] CONTINENTAL COPYRIGHT EDITION. Small octavo (17 x 12cm), pp.294; [4]. Publisher's paper wrappers with titles to front cover and spine, and a list of recent publications dated February 1924 to rear cover. Fore and lower edges untrimmed. Rubbing to joint and edges; spine..... More
The Invisible Man. A Grotesque Romance.
London: C. Arthur Pearson Limited, 1897. [Speculative fiction] FIRST EDITION, first Issue. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[viii]; 246; [2] advertisements. With page 1 incorrectly numbered as 2. Publisher's pictorial red cloth titled in gilt to spine and upper with vignette in black to upper. Contents toned as usual, a few..... More
Kipps. The Story of a Simple Soul.
London: Macmillan, 1905. FIRST EDITION IN RARE VARIANT BINDING. Octao, pp. 425; [2] (blank); 32, publisher's catalogue, dated 20.8.1909. Bound in pale green cloth, heavily gilt decorated to spine with repetitive H.G. Wells monogram alternating with a floral device. Light edgespotting else fine. The story concerns a draper's assistant who..... More
The New America: The New World.
London: The Cresset Press, 1935. FIRST EDITION. Octavo. Publisher's dark blue cloth, lettered in gilt, in pictorial dust jacket. Minor wear, a little bowing to boards with fading to gilt lettering, mainly to spine area, a very good copy. Wrapper with some chips and tears, pale foxing to flaps, slight..... More
The Stolen Bacillus. And Other Incidents.
London: Methuen, 1895. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp. [x]; 275; [1], imprint; [32], catalogue, dated November 1896. In publisher's blue cloth, with gilt titles to spine and upper board, edges untrimmed. Internally very clean, adverts mainly uncut although final four pages have been roughly opened. Cloth generally bright..... More
The War in the Air. and Particularly how Mr. Bert Smallways Fared while it Lasted.
London: George Bell and Sons, 1908. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. Octavo (198 x 130mm) pp.viii; 389; [2], advertisements. With 16 monochrome illustrations by A. C. Michael. Publisher's original gilt-decoated blue cloth. A little toning to flyleaves, discreet crack to rear inside paper joint, cloth lightly worn. A clean, bright example..... More
The War of The Worlds.
London: William Heinemann, 1898. [Science fiction] FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.viii; 303; [1]; [16 of publisher's advertisements dated Autumn 1897]. Publisher's grey cloth, titled in black to spine and upper. The first issue with the correct advertisements bound in at the rear. Some spotting to preliminaries..... More
The War of The Worlds.
London: William Heinemann, 1898. [Science fiction] FIRST EDITION, second issue. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.viii; 303; [1]; [32] publisher's advertisements. Publisher's grey cloth, titled in black to spine and upper. Textblock slightly shaken, some light spotting, mostly to preliminaries, bottom corner of page 23/24 lost (not affecting the text), toned..... More
The Works of H.G. Wells. Contains all his famous titles, including: The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, Kipps, First Men in The Moon, War of The Worlds, The War in The Air, etc.
London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1924. The Atlantic Edition, Limited to 620 sets of which this is No.411, SIGNED on the limitation page by the author. 28 volumes, large octavo. Portrait frontispiece, title printed in red and black. Finely bound in dark green half oasis morocco with gilt titles and decoration..... More
The Sea Lady
London, Methuen and Co. 1902. Strange Tale. FIRST EDITION, 8vo., with later ads. dated August 1908. A fantasy novel. Bound in publisher's gilt-trimmed red cloth, showing some light, acceptable wear and handling but generally in an attractive state. Wells' little known fantasy foreshadows Franz Kafka's dark fables of the totalitarian..... More
The War in the Air and Particularly how Mr. Bert Smallways Fared while it Lasted.
George Bell and Sons, London, 1908, FIRST EDITION. Crown octavo, pps.[viii]; 389. With 16 monochrome illustrations by A. C. Michael. In a robust private binding of grey cloth with morocco label titled in gilt, top edge gilt. Some light spotting else clean, in lightly rubbed binding. Wells' famous 'scientific romance'..... More
![Jeeves and the impending Doom [within] The London Omnibus. Introduction by Carl Van Doren. P. G....](/pictures/thumb/54730.jpg?v=1568109519)
Jeeves and the impending Doom [within] The London Omnibus. Introduction by Carl Van Doren.
New York, NY: Doubleday Doran and Company, Inc., 1932. [Classic Humour] FIRST ANTHOLOGY EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm). Publisher's pale green cloth blocked in dark green, pictorial dust-wrapper priced at $2.50. Jacket just a touch dusty and marginally sunned to spine else a particularly fine copy which appears to be..... More
Results 1 - 19 (of 19)