"Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all."
— Abraham Lincoln
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.
![Item #72650 The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest [Hercule Poirot] in The Strand Magazine. Volume 83....](https://harringtonbooks-co-uk.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/72650.jpg?width=320&height=427&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1752941877)
The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest [Hercule Poirot] in The Strand Magazine. Volume 83.
London: George Newnes, Ltd., January-June 1932. [Literature/ Crime Fiction] FIRST APPEARANCE. Quarto (26 x 20cm), pp.628. Illustrated throughout in sepia and colour. Original magazine parts bound in a half-yearly volume of light blue cloth pictorially blocked in black to front covers, gilt to spine. Contents clean, light spotting to endpapers..... More
![Item #57798 The Flying Death [and] The Adventures of Etienne Gerard [and] The Castaway [and]...](https://harringtonbooks-co-uk.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/57798.jpg?width=320&height=427&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1599843561)
The Flying Death [and] The Adventures of Etienne Gerard [and] The Castaway [and] Admiral Peters [and] The Truth About Pyecraft [in] The Strand Magazine. Volume 25, numbers 147 and 148.
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
![Item #74651 The Return of Sherlock Holmes [in] The Strand Magazine. Volumes 26, 27 and 28,...](https://harringtonbooks-co-uk.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/74651.jpg?width=320&height=427&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1774027682)
The Return of Sherlock Holmes [in] The Strand Magazine. Volumes 26, 27 and 28, complete. Also featuring: Dixon's Return [and] The Ebony Box [and] Eyes of Terror [and] Gervais of Blois [and] The Iron Maiden [and] The King and I [and] The Land Ironclads [and] Lawyer Quince [and] Liar and an Elephant [and] The Phoenix and the Carpet [and] Point of Law [and] The Country of the Blind [and] Dialstone Lane [and] Echo [and] Golden Bars [and] Sadi the Fiddler [and] Billy the King [and] The Diver's Story [and] The Girl on the Sands [and] An Irish Gentleman [and] The Messenger in Mufti [and] The Mistress of the Chateau [and] The Ring and the Lamp [and] A Splendid Rogue [and] The Temptation of Samuel Burge [and] That Brute Simmons.
London: George Newnes, July 1903 to December 1904. [Literary Magazine] LEATHER-BOUND 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. Handsomely bound in brown half morocco, with raised bands, twin green..... More
![Item #58996 Round the Fire Stories [and] The Brotherhood of the Seven Kings [and] Miss...](https://harringtonbooks-co-uk.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/58996.jpg?width=320&height=427&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1612201515)
Round the Fire Stories [and] The Brotherhood of the Seven Kings [and] Miss Cayley's Adventures [and] Glimpses of Nature [and] Safety Match [and] Smoked Skipper [and] Clochette [and] The Gray Parrot [and] The Madness of Mr. Lister [and] Mr. Ledbetter's Vacation [and] The Stolen Body [and] Underground Passages and Trap-Doors [and] Where the Air Quivered [in] The Strand Magazine. Volumes 15 and 16, complete.
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
The Adelphi. Vol. 1, numbers 1 to 10, and vol. 2, numbers 4 and 5.
London: British Periodicals, June 1923 to March 1924, and September to October 1924. [Literary Magazines] FIRST APPEARANCES, the first ten issues, plus two further issues. 12 volumes. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.viii; 88; viii; 89-176; iv; 177-268; iv; 269-360; vi; 361-450; vi; 451-556; vi; 557-662; vi; 663-768; vi; 769-858; iv;..... More
The Bulpington of Bulp. Adventures, Poses, Stresses and Disaster in a Contemporary Brain.
London: Hutchinson, n.d. [1933]. [Modern literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.409; 40, ads., dated 'Spring 1933'. Publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt, Delphic Sybil endpapers, illustrated dust-wrapper priced 8/6. No inscriptions, edges dusty/thumbed, covers show some wear, dust-jacket (probably stored separately) is particularly bright and fresh with the..... More
The Autocracy of Mr. Parham. His Remarkable Adventures in this Changing World.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc., 1930. [Dystopia] FIRST US EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[8] 328. With 10 black and white cartoons by Low. Publisher's light brown cloth with darker brown titles to spine and upper. With the dust-jacket also illustrated by Low. Edges and..... More
The Autocracy of Mr. Parham. His Remarkable Adventures in this Changing World.
London: William Heinemann, 1930. [Dystopian fantasy] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.[12] 370 [2]. With 10 black and white cartoons by Low. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine. Bound upside down. With the dust-jacket also illustrated by Low, priced at 3/6. No inscriptions, edges toned..... More
The Wonderful Visit.
London: J.M. Dent & Co., 1895. [Fantasy novel] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Supposed advance issue in the publisher's red cloth, with gilt pictorial Cupid design by Robert Anning Bell (often wrongly attributed to Arthur Rackham) on upper board. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[2] viii; 251 [3] Recently re-bound in..... More
The Plattner Story. And Others.
London: Methuen and Co., 1897. [Science Fiction] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[2] viii; 301 [45]. With the publisher's catalogue dated March 1897 at rear. Recently bound in burgundy half morocco, with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, and marbled paper over boards. All edges untrimmed..... More
The War in the Air, and Particularly how Mr. Bert Smallways Fared while it Lasted.
London: George Bell and Sons, 1908. [Scientific romance] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm), pp.viii; 389 [3]. With 16 black and white half-tone plates, including a frontispiece, after illustrations by Michael. Recently rebound in blue half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, and matching cloth over boards..... 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, second state. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.389; [2] publisher's advertisements. Publisher's blue cloth, gilt titles to spine, with colour plate pasted to front board; edges uncut. Illustrated with sixteen black and white plates by Michaels (complete). No ink names, a...... 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, second state. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.389; [2] publisher's advertisements. Publisher's blue cloth, gilt titles to spine, with colour plate pasted to front board; edges uncut. Illustrated with sixteen black and white plates by Michaels (complete). Contents clean and fresh..... More
Apropos of Dolores.
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
The Country of the Blind and Other Stories. vol. 4713.
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
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 History of Mr. Polly.
London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1910. [Comic Novel] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.374. With a colour illustrated frontispiece. Elegantly hand-bound in half dark green oasis morocco over matching cloth-covered sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands. Contents clean with a few light and occasional..... More
The Passionate Friends. A Novel.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1913. [Modern literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm), pp.[8] 356; 4; 8. Publisher's green cloth, decoration blind-stamped to upper board and spine. Gilt titles to upper board and spine. Top edge gilt. Interior lightly toned with some minor spotting throughout. Two ownership inscriptions in black..... More
The Stolen Bacillus. And Other Incidents.
London: Methuen, 1895. [Strange tales / supernatural] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp. [x]; 275; [1], imprint; [32], catalogue, dated September 1895. In publisher's blue cloth, with gilt titles to spine and upper board, edges untrimmed. Minor reading marks within, two neat rubber ink stamps to pastedown, gilt on..... More
Tales of Space and Time.
London: Harper, 1900 [actually published 1899]. [Science fiction collection] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[vi]; 358; + 2 of adverts. Publisher's light brown cloth, lettered in brown to spine and in gilt to cover, with additional rules and devices in brown; top edge trimmed, others untrimmed. A used book..... More
Tales of Space and Time.
London: Harper, 1900 [actually published 1899]. [Science fiction collection] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[vi]; 358; + 2 of adverts. Publisher's light brown cloth, lettered in brown to spine and in gilt to cover, with additional rules and devices in brown; top edge trimmed, others untrimmed. Some expected (light)..... More
Tales of Space and Time.
London: Harper, 1900 [actually published 1899]. [Science fiction collection] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[vi]; 358; + 2 of adverts. Publisher's light brown cloth, lettered in brown to spine and in gilt to cover, with additional rules and devices in brown; top edge trimmed, others untrimmed. A used book..... More
Twelve Stories and a Dream.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1903. [Strange tales] FIRST EDITION, in book form. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[viii]; 377; [1], blank; [6], adverts; 16, catalogue. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine, gilt and blind embossed to upper board; top edge gilt. Contents clean, no ink names, edges a little..... More
What is Coming: A Forecast of Things after the War.
London: Cassell and Company, Ltd, 1916. [Philosophy / Literature] FIRST EDITION, first impression, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.295; [1], imprint. Publisher's impressed green cloth with gilt titles to spine. With signed, dated inscription by Wells to first blank. Contents heavily toned, paper is brittle, some neat..... More
Contribute to Pearson's Magazine: The War of the Worlds. An Illustrated Monthly. Vols. III-IV. Edited by George Newnes.
London: C.A. Pearson, January - June 1897. [Science Fiction] FIRST APPEARANCE of this title; this version has the bonus of illustrations, none of which featured in the book-form edition. Two volumes. Octavo (24 x 28cm), pp.712; pp.754. Consecutive half-yearly volumes uniformly bound in half deep red oasis morocco over matching..... More