Wells, H.G.

4to (271 x 198mm.), FIRST LIBRARY EDITION, WITH ANNOTATIONS AND REVISIONS THROUGHOUT BY THE AUTHOR, corrections and marginal comments in ink to 39 pages (21 to volume 1, 18 to volume 2), MANY SIGNED "H.G.W", frontispieces, pictorial titles and 55 colour plates (volume 1 with 23 plates, volume 2 with 22 plates), numerous maps, photographs and illustrations, publisher's advert at end of volume 1, original half green morocco, top edge gilt, occasional soiling and marginal tears, boards with some light soiling, particularly vol.2, endpapers browned

Owen Bulmer Howell (1880-1969), pilot

H.G. Wells: A Comprehensive Bibliography (1968) 75

Condition is as described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

First published in a series of twenty four parts between November 1919 and November 1920, Wells' Outline of History was both a critical success and international bestseller. The book proposed a new kind of history text book, underplaying the rivalry between nation states that Wells felt had contributed to the outbreak of the First World War.

This copy, presumably at one point Wells' own, includes many corrections to the text as well a number of more lengthy additions to the content. Wells has also added the year "1919" to the title page, the year in which the twenty four part serialization began, although it was not published in book form until 1920.