Books

First edition, first issue of this science fiction cornerstone. Octavo, original grey cloth lettered in black. Currey's state (A) with 16 pages publisher's advertisements at end dated Autumn 1897. In near fine condition, small name to the front free endpaper and title. An exceptional example. "The War of the Worlds is a tour de force whose innumerable fictional offspring include numerous adaptations and homages, by far the most effective of which was Orson Welles Mercury Theater radio broadcast of 1938" (Anatomy of Wonder II-1234). Filmed several times, the first in 1953, starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson and most recently in 2005 film directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning.

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.