Scarce With The Wrapper

Wells, H. G. ~ The Scientific Romances of H. G. Wells

Victor Gollancz Ltd., London: 1933

The First UK printing published by Victor Gollancz Ltd., London in 1933. Thick 8vo., black cloth lettered in red to spine; the iconic yellow Gollancz dustwrapper printed in black and red and priced 8/6; THE BOOK a Very Good++ copy, with just a hint of rubbing at the extremities and with a couple of tiny dents to the outer edge of upper board; lightly spotted to the edges; near-contemporary ownership inscription in ink to FFEP; THE WRAPPER also Very Good+ condition, with minimal toning to the upper panel and spine; slight shelf wear to lower; light losses to the ends of the folds and a little more so to the spine, one larger loss at the head (0.5cm in depth) with a couple of small closed tears; Some reinforcement with professional tape to the verso, but discrete nonetheless. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. First Omnibus edition. Containing 8 of Wells’s science fiction works: The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon, The Food of the Gods, In the Days of the Comet and Men Like Gods. Wells further provides a new introduction. Comprising 1232 pages, this collection of Science Fiction writer H. G. Wells’s most popular novels are included here together for the first time. Wells was a prolific writer, with his first book, The Time Machine, published in 1895. With the publication of the present volume in 1933, the author wrote another 7 novels before his death in 1946, but he also penned a huge number of novellas, short stories, and non-fiction titles in his lifetime, including those on history and politics. The Time Machine propels a Victorian scientists 800,000 years into the future. The Island of Dr. Moreau follows a man stranded on a deserted island, and his experiences with a mad scientist who experiments with vivisection. The Invisible Man refers to a scientist who succeeds in bending light in such a way as to make himself invisible, but then is powerless to reverse it. The War of the Worlds portrays the invasion of earth by a race of alien beings. The First Men in the Moon recounts a journey to the moon by a businessman and a scientist, and their interactions with insect-like creatures called ‘Selenites’. The Food of the Gods tells the tale of a new type of food invented by scientists which turns children into giants. In The Days of the Comet, humanity is forced to adapt when a comet causes a change in breathable gasses. And Men Like Gods sees a man who slips into an alternative universe - a supposed Utopia. Wells paved the way for a whole new generation of writers in his wake to take up the concepts of time travel, alien invasion and many other themes, and it is a testament to his work and ideas that adaptations in film, media and television are still utilising the concepts he conceived of over one hundred years ago. 'Isn’t this the best of all omnibus volumes?' (Publisher's front cover blurb)

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Very Good++
JACKET: Very Good+