"Beware of the person of one book."
— Thomas Aquinas

See below our stock of H. G. Wells First Editions, fine bindings, sets and other collectible material.
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
London: George Newnes, June 1925 to March 1926. [Literary Magazine] FIRST APPEARANCES. Ten parts in their original colour illustrated paper covers. Octavo (27 x 20cm), pp.[56] 529-634 [57-70]; pp.[52] 108 [53-64]; pp.[48] 109-212 [49-60]; pp.[52] 213-320 [53-64]; pp.[60] 321-424 [61-76]; pp.[72] 425-530 [73-90]; pp.[98] 531-670 [99-130]; pp.[46] 104 [47-64]; pp.[52]..... More
London: George Newnes, March and April 1903. [Literary Magazine] FIRST APPEARANCES. Two octavo magazines (27 x 18cm), pp.lxxvi; 241-360; lxxvii-lxxxiv; pp.lxxx; 361-480; lxxxi-lxxviii. With frequent in-text illustrations. Publisher's pale blue paper covers titled in dark blue, stapled twice. Presented in black cloth-covered chemise case with gilt titles to spine. First..... More
London: George Newnes, July 1903 to December 1904. [Literary Magazine] FIRST APPEARANCES. Three volumes. Octavo (24 x 27cm), pp.[4] 804; pp.[4] 724; pp.[4] 804. With frequent black and white illustrations, including Paget's famous illustrations for the Holmes stories. Publisher's cyan cloth with gilt titles to spines and black titles and..... More
London: George Newnes, January to December 1898. [Literary Magazine] FIRST APPEARANCES. Two volumes. Octavo (24 x 18cm), pp.[4] 804; pp.[4] 804. With frequent black and white illustrations. Publisher's cyan cloth with gilt titles to spines and black titles and decoration to uppers. All edges speckled red. Clean internally, with moderate..... More
London: George Newnes, December 1909 to November 1910. [Literary Magazine] FIRST APPEARANCES. Twelve octavo magazines (28 x 19 x 18cm), pp.[126] 647-848; [127-166]; pp.[74] 128; [75-90]; pp.[80] 129-256; [81-96]; pp.[82] 257-384; [83-110] pp.[82] 385-512 [83-106]; pp.[82] 513-640 [83-106]; pp.[82] 641-768; [83-102]; pp.[70] 128; [71-86]; pp.[56] 129-256; [57-72]; pp.[70] 257-364; [71-86];..... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1938. [Modern Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.352. Publisher's pink cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the black typographic dust-jacket, priced at 7/6. Heavy pencil ownership to fly-leaf, and a small label removed. Light toning and spotting to edges, with a brown water stain..... More
Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1926. [Science-Fiction Short Stories] COPYRIGHT EDITION. Octavo (17 x 12cm), pp.267 [37]. Publisher's plain paper covers; edges untrimmed Blue ink ownership to front cover, and some light toning and rubbing to spine. First gathering coming loose. Unusually well-preserved. Near fine. A collection of short stories which take..... More
London: Chatto & Windus, 1936. [Psychological Fantasy] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.[10] 82 [4]. Publisher's brown mottled (almost leopard print) cloth with a plain paper title label to spine. With the pink and green-illustrated dust-jacket by Harold Jones, priced at 3/6. Black ink ownership to fly-leaf. Slight offsetting..... More
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
London: Secker and Warburg, 1939. [Futurology] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.vi; 330. Publisher's grey cloth with titles in gilt and red to spine. Top edge red. With the blue illustrated dust-jacket, priced at 7/6. Lightly browned and rubbed to edges. A little rubbing and toning to board edges..... More
London: William Heinemann, 1945. [Dreams and Philosophy] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.vi; 50. Publisher's navy quarter cloth with gilt titles to spine and pink paper-covered boards, titled in blue. With the plain dust-jacket titled in orange, priced at 6s. Gently toned throughout. Jacket a little sunned to spine..... More
London: Michael Joseph, 1939. [Dystopia] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.447 [1]. Publisher's deep pink cloth with silver titles to spine and yellow endpapers. With the black and pink typographic dust-jacket by Barlow, priced at 8/6. Charming illustrated bookplate of Joan Whitney, by Tiffany and Co., to front pastedown..... More
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
London: Ernest Benn, 1927. [Political Novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.288. Publisher's brown cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the plain cartoon-illustrated dust-jacket, priced at 7/6. Gently toned throughout. Jacket lightly soiled, with some rubbing and chipping to edges. Near fine. A novel framing Wells' thoughts on..... More
London: William Heinemann, 1945. [Philosophy and Apocalypse] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.x; 34. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. With the red dust-jacket, priced at 6s. A lovely clean copy with just a little rubbing to jacket. Near fine. A small selection of essays..... More
London: Ernest Benn, 1928. [Castaway Novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.288. Publisher's brown cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the dust-jacket illustrated by Sir William Orpen, priced at 7/6. A little spotting to edges, otherwise a nice crisp, clean copy. Light general soiling to jacket, with light..... More
London: The English Review, 1910. [Modern Literature] FIRST APPEARANCE, original magazine parts bound as one volume. Octavo (24 x 17cm), pp.[2] 286-329 [2]; 532-563 [1]; 673-715 [2]; 98-136 [1]; 270-308; 477-511 [2]; 682-702 [2]. Contemporary green half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles to orange label, further gilt decoration to..... More
London: Archibald Constable & Co., 1908. [Political Philosophy] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[6] 355 [5]. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper, as well as a gilt monogram stamped to upper. Lower edge untrimmed. Rough erasure of a black ink ownership to fly-leaf. Toning to..... More
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
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
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
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
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