Buy this book on-line

WELLS, H[erbert] G[eorge] (1866-1946) : The Fate Of Homo-Sapiens

London, Secker and Warburg. 1939

First Edition, INCRIBED. Publisher's cloth; some edgwear, with local spotting/sunning and discolour, some edge spotting. Very good, in similar dust wrapper; worn, with a few nick and tears, but presentable. Inscribed by Wells to title page: "To Evan / Bless him / and spare him./ HGW." The inscription is finished off with a swirling, spiral figure which may depict Mr.Wells' head, part of a snail or possibly a sketch of a biological cell of some kind. It is a little difficult to tell, the inside of Mr.Wells' head being somewhat complex and given to large ideas. Easier to discern is the identity of Evan; Evan Frederic Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar. Founder of the Tredegar Memorial Lecture, Royal Society of Literature, soldier, sportsman and literary patron. His parties at Tredegar House became somewhat notorious in their day, and H.G.Wells was amongst his many regular guests, (along with George Bernard Shaw, Augustus John and Nancy Cunard, which probably means they were the kind of party where one didn't have to lay on extra entertainment), apart from the larger than life qualities of most of his guests the Viscount's parties were also frequented by members of his large menagerie, including a boxing kangaroo called Somerset. From the tone of the inscription, it appears tha Mr.Wells may have been pleading for his host's soul. Shorter New Cambridge Bibliography (Eng.Lit.) 1293-8.

Bibliophile Bookbase for antiquarian books, maps and prints.