Books

viii, 303 pp. plus pub. cat. 8vo, publisher's lettered cloth. First edition. Slight foxing to endsheets; a little cocked; spine slightly browned; otherwise a fresh, unworn copy of the uncommon first edition. This copy has a forged presentation inscription by H. G. Wells to W. W. Jacobs on the half-title page.

The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel by English author H.G. Wells. It first appeared in serialized form in 1897, published by Pearson’s Magazine in the UK and by Cosmopolitan magazine in the US. The novel details the experiences of an unnamed protagonist in London and his brother in Surrey during an invasion of Earth by Martians. It is a pioneering work of the science fiction genre, popularizing the alien invasion trope.