Brilliant but strange short stories
WELLS, H.G. The Stolen Bacillus and other Incidents. London: Methuen & Co. 1895.
8vo., original blue cloth with gilt lettering and decorative design in gilt to upper cover and spine; preserved in a custom-made fall-down-back box; pp. [xii], 275, [i], 32 [advertisements, dated September 1895]; binding a little rubbed to spine edges with head and foot pushed; ever-so-slight lean; corners lightly rubbed and bumped; still a very internally clean copy.
First edition of Wells second science fiction work, and his first collection of short stories.
Containing, among others, The Flowering of the Strange Orchid (presumably influencing the cover image); The Triumphs of a Taxidermist; The Flying Man and The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes. The title story covers great ground, switching from bioterrorism to comedy car chases, and a virus which turns skin blue. There are also cases involving swallowed diamonds, Ostrich auctions, and large bat-like creatures. The devil even features, at one point.
Most of the stories had already been printed, in The Pall Mall Budget, The Pall Mall Gazette and St James's Gazette, but were brought together for the first time in this volume.
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