WELLS. JOAN AND PETER, 1918, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO HIS SONS' TUTOR (1 VOL.)

8vo (187 x 128mm.), first American edition, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR ("To Mathilde Meyer | from | H.G. Wells | grateful as ever | for two well taught | sons | Xmas 1918") on half-title, original red cloth, blue and cream dust-jacket, some slight wear to edges of red cloth, jacket missing small piece along edge of lower flap and with a few small nicks and one closed tear

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when 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."

Fraulein Mathilda M. Meyer was a Swiss governess hired by the author's wife Jane in October 1908 to give their two sons Gip and Frank lessons in English, French and German. She was employed for five years and later wrote an enthusiastic and perhaps over-flattering account of Wells and his household, but one which nonetheless is a valuable record of Wells' home-life in the years leading up to the First World War. It was during this period that Wells developed the 'Floor Games' which he played with his sons and sometimes even visitors, leading to a book of the same name published in 1911. These games, and Wells' account of them, have enjoyed a new vogue recently among child psychologists as an authentic form of non-verbal psychotherapy.