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by Michael Sadleir as, “not only the rarest of Trol - lope’s full length works, but one of the rarest first editions in the whole range of nineteenth century fiction.” (Trollope A Bibliography) Although Newby’s ledgers show 400 copies were printed (itself a tiny number), of these “the great- er part... would have been taken by libraries and ultimately destroyed. Of the balance remaining to the publisher some were reissued in 1848 with the second title page and the remainder pulped.” (Sadleir). One can see therefore how presentable copies became of the utmost scarcity even from the point of publication. In recent commerce it has been tantamount to unobtainable with just a sin- gle copy offered at auction in the last 40 years and ardent collectors despairing of ever seeing a copy, let alone owning one. Sadleir 1 WELLS, H.G. THE TIME MACHINE An In - vention Heinemann, 1895 [46479] First UK edition, first issue in oatmeal grey cloth lettered in purple, top and foredges uncut (i.e. Curry’s A state). Sixteen undat- ed pages of adverts at the rear headed The
Children’s Literature
Manxman. A very good copy indeed, with some tanning to spine and some dustiness to the covers, though less than is usually seen. Internally clean. $7,000 In 1888 Wells had written a series of articles concerning time travel enti - tled “The Chronic Argonauts” for The Science Schools Journal, a maga - zine 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 jour - nals, W.E. Henley, then persuaded Heinemann to publish the whole sto- ry 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)
INSCRIBED TO SHIRLEY HUGHES BRIGGS, Raymond; HUGHES, Shirley THE SNOWMAN Hamish Hamilton, 1978 [46532] First edition. 4to. Original laminated pictorial boards. Author’s presentation copy, inscribed on the title page to fellow children’s author and illustrator Shirley Hughes, “For SHIRL With Best Wishes from Raymond / Raymond Briggs”. Together with a preliminary sketch by Hughes in pencil and watercolour and four leaves of autograph manuscript by Shirley Hughes. The story of the Snowman is told entirely with colour illustrations by Briggs without any text. The sketch by Hughes in pencil and watercolour, of the Snowman and a little boy (though looking very much like Alfie) in preparation for a watercolour Hughes created for an exhibition of 2018. A fine copy, with just
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