Shape Things by Wells, Signed (6 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. HARDBACK - A very good book bound in the publisher's navy blue cloth boards with bright gilt lettering present to the spine. Pushing to the spine tips, with some ghosting to the spine, also with a touch of fading to the top one centimetre of the front panel. Internally clean with a little toning to the closed text blocks. Light foxing to the front and rear pastedowns, also to the front and rear end-papers, but the rest of the inner text is clean with no soiling or finger marks inset. Free of any previous owner names or inscriptions, but with a P.T. Lovell stamp in red ink present to the half title page and to the top corner of the title page. Signed by the author to the title page. The dust wrapper is in very good condition for its age with the usual fading to the spine. There is chipping to the spine tips, with closed tears and rubbing to the extremities. Dust soiling to the corners of the front and rear flap folds. The publisher's printed price of 10'6 net present to the lower centre of the spine. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Fair. E Mcknight Kauffer (illustrator). 142 Pages; Part 1 With 16 Chapters. Introductory Remarks In Front Of Book; Finale In Rear Of Book. Pages Tight; No Markings On Pages. Signed Note "To Gilbert L Harcutt H G Wells" On Front End Page. Dark Blue Boards With Gild Lettering On Front Cover And Spine. Minor Shelf Wear. Glossy Dust Jacket Has Beige Background; Light Blue And Black Lettering And Illustration On Front Cover And Spine. Black Background With Image Of Film Scenes On Back Cover. Some Rubbing And Fading; Few Nicks On Dj Edges And Spine Ends; Minor Creasing And Wear Near Top Front; 2 Small Tears Of Approximately 1 Inch At Top On Front Dj.Wear On Fold Flaps Ends. Author Provides A Complete And Thrilling Story, Which Is Not Impaired In Any Way Although The Full Technical Details Of The Film Are Given. The London Film Productions Gave Permission To Use The Photographs Which Were Reproduced On The Dust Jacket. Other Works By H G Wells Are Listed On The Front End Page Opposite The Title Page. Chapter Headings Include: Before The Second World War; War Break Over Everytown; The Second World War; The Wandering Sickness; Everytown Under A Patriot Chief; The New Generation; World Audience; The Struggle For The Space Gun; The Firing Of The Space Gun, Etc. Very Rare Signed Copy With His Signature Ending In A Special Elegant Design. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. E. McKnight Kauffer (illustrator). First Edition. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt title in black square with gilt border. This edition contains the story covered by the classic Raymond Massey film. A professional facsimile of the rare E. McKnight Kauffer dust jacket is included in pristine condition and in a plastic cover. The book is near fine with light amber spotting to the endpaper from humidity, not extending to the text block. Signed.

First edition, first printing of both volumes, bound in one. Signed by the author. Inscribed presentation and association copy. Mid-twentieth century half calf for Henry Sotheran, five raised bands, gilt decorated compartments and titles on red morocco labels to the spine. Brown cloth boards. Ownership initials of Richard Kayne in gilt to the bottom right corner of the upper board. Top edge gilt. Marbled endpapers. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with some rubbing to the spine hinges and corners. The contents, with the bookplate of Richard Kayne to the front pastedown, and four pages of additional dialogue in the form of carbon-copy typescript (annotated in the hand of Wells), are clean throughout. The Man Who Could Work Miracles is inscribed by the author in black ink on the half title "for Philip Charlot / H. G. Wells / April 1936". The recipient was the film editor on the 1937 Lothar Mendes production starring Ralph Richardson, Joan Gardner and Roland Young. Underneath Wells' inscription Charlot has later inscribed "for Richard Kayne / with very best wishes / Philip Charlot / October 1956". The page preceding the half title of the second title 'Things to Come' is further inscribed by Charlot "Sorry, Richard, but H.G. forgot to sign this one for me - Philip". The recipient of Charlot's presentation is the writer, composer and musician Richard Kayne (pseudonym of William Sydney Kuttner), who is perhaps best remembered for composing the haunting theme from the 1959 Horror film 'House On Haunted Hill' (starring Vincent Price). [Bleiler; Locke: Spectrum of Fantasy]. Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers.

First edition of the novelization of the classic 1936 film H. G. Wells' Things to Come. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. Signed by H.G. Wells and actor Derrick de Marnay on front free endpaper. Derrick de Marnay starred as Richard Gordon in the acclaimed 1936 film adaptation, Things to Come, directed by William Cameron Menzies. In near fine condition. A very sharp and unique signed example. First published in 1933, The Shape of Things to Come takes the form of a future history that ends in 2106. A long economic slump causes a major war that leaves Europe devastated and threatened by the plague. In decades of chaos with much of the world reverting to medieval conditions, pilots and technicians formerly serving in various nations' air forces maintain a network of functioning air fields. Around this nucleus, technological civilization is rebuilt, with the pilots and other skilled technicians eventually seizing worldwide power and sweeping away the remnants of the old nation states. A number of Wells' short-term predictions would come true, such as the aerial bombing of whole cities presented in more detail than in his previous The War in the Air and the eventual development of weapons of mass destruction. The book was adapted into the 1936 film, Things to Come, directed by William Cameron Menzies and starring Derrick de Marnay as Richard Gordon. "Things to Come qualifies as the first true masterpiece of science fiction cinema" (Westfahl, Bio-Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Film).

First Edition. First Printing. Signed and inscribed in black ink by H.G. Wells to the manager of the Leicester Square and Lyceum theaters: ÒTo William Yorkham, who bridges the ages between the Lyceum & Leicester Square. H.G. WellsÓ and with WellÕs flamboyant paraph florish. It was at the Leicester Square Theater that Things To Come had its world premiere on February 21, 1936. With light foxing to the top edge and endpapers, else a near fine copy in the original cloth binding in a very good dust jacket with a few small chips and tears. The screenplay written by H.G. Wells for the William Cameron Menzies directed British production starring Raymond Massey resulting in the first science fiction classic film of the sound era. Menzies, perhaps the finest production designer in film history, created a striking vision of the future that is still arresting today. Very rare signed by Wells, the modern father of science fiction.