R A R E B O O K S A T C H R I S T M A S
170. WELLS, H.G. THE TIME MACHINE An Invention Heine- mann, 1895. First UK edition, first issue in oatmeal grey cloth lettered in pur - ple, top and foredges uncut (i.e. Curry’s A state). Sixteen undat- ed pages of adverts at the rear headed The Manxman. A very good copy indeed, with some tanning to spine and some dust- iness to the covers, though less than is usually seen. Internally clean. [46479] £5,000 In 1888 Wells had written a series of articles concerning time travel entitled “The Chronic Argonauts” for The Science Schools Journal, a magazine that he had founded whilst a student. Some six years later he revised them for the National Observer, and then rewrote them as the serial “The Time Traveler’s Story” for the The New Review. The editor of both journals, W.E. Henley, then persuaded Heinemann to publish the whole story as a book. So it was that Wells came to write The Time Machine, not only his first novel but also a pioneering highlight of the science fiction genre. “And if you want to know what impresses me it is to see how you con- trive to give over humanity into the clutches of the Impossible and yet manage to keep it down (or up) to its humanity, to its flesh, blood, sor- row, folly. THAT is achievement!” (Joseph Conrad)
171. WILDE, Oscar A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE John Lane, 1894. First edition. 8vo. Original mauve cloth with gilt decoration to the covers and spine, designed by Charles Shannon. A very good copy indeed, with fading to the spine and a little dustiness to the covers, but the gilt remains bright and the binding shows only trivial wear to the corners. Internally very fresh with a short tear to the front endpaper. An unusually well preserved copy. [45846] £2,250 A Woman Of No Importance opened at the Haymarket Theatre on April 19th 1893, having been composed while staying at Babbacombe, Torquay for the previous summer season. The first edition was pub- lished towards the end of 1894, in an edition of only 500 copies. Mason 365.
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