signed first edition 145 pp. 1 vols. 8vo
1940 · London
by Wells, H. G.
London: Secker and Warburg, 1940. First edition, inscribed on the half title. 145 pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Grassy cloth, stamped in purple foil on spine. Spine sunned at top and bottom, corners bumpled. In worn dust jacket, chipped at head and tail of spine, corners, edges. First edition, inscribed on the half title. 145 pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Inspired by the outbreak of World War II, Wells merged a number of the ideas he explored in his previous books — socialism, technology, cooperation, and evolution — into this nonfiction work that proposed a new framework for global relations, international functionalism, as a guide to creating a future and lasting world peace. The title has since become a modern catch phrase to describe worldwide confederation efforts, at times used in a conspiratorial sense.
Inscribed to fellow author Rebecca West, his former lover, with whom he fathered a son, Anthony: "To Rebecca / with love / H. G." Even though their sexual relationship had ended nearly two decades previously, the two maintained a close friendship until Wells' death in 1946. (Inventory #: 371821)
Inscribed to fellow author Rebecca West, his former lover, with whom he fathered a son, Anthony: "To Rebecca / with love / H. G." Even though their sexual relationship had ended nearly two decades previously, the two maintained a close friendship until Wells' death in 1946. (Inventory #: 371821)
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