The War of the Worlds

by Wells, H. G.; Gorey, Edward

• ISBN13: 9781681376097
• ISBN10: 1681376091
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2021-10-26
• Publisher: NYRB Classics

Summary

Now in paperback, and accompanied by Edward's Gorey's masterful, timelessly haunting illustrations, H. G. Wells's classic story of alien invasion.

When massive, intelligent aliens from Mars touch down in Victorian England and threaten to destroy the civilized world, humanity’s vaunted knowledge proves to be of little use.

First published in 1898, H. G. Wells’s masterpiece of speculative fiction has thrilled and delighted generations of readers, spawned countless imitations, and inspired dramatizations by such masters as Orson Welles and Steven Spielberg. The War of the Worlds is a fantasy that is startlingly up-to-date yet in touch with the most ancient of human fears.

In 1960, Edward Gorey prepared a set of his inimitable pen-and-ink drawings to illustrate a new edition of The War of the Worlds for the legendary Looking Glass Library. Characteristically quirky, elegant, and entrancing, Gorey’s visual take on Wells’s seminal tour de force was unavailable until 2005, when NYRB Classics reissued it in a special hardcover edition.

Now in paperback, this edition brings back for today’s readers a richly rewarding collaboration between two modern masters of all that’s wonderful and strange.

Author Biography

H. G. (Herbert George) Wells (1866–1946) was a prolific author best known for his contributions to science fiction. His early work included such influential works as The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds. 

In addition to illustrating his own books, Edward Gorey (1925–2000) provided drawings to countless books for both children and adults. Of these, NYRB has published The Haunted Looking Glass; Rex Warner’s Men and Gods; Saki’s The Unrest-Cure and Other Stories; and, with Rhoda Levine, Three Ladies Beside the Sea and He Was There from the Day We Moved In.