La Guerre des Mondes

1906. WELLS, H.G. La Guerre des Mondes. Translated from the English by Henry D. Davray. 235, [10] pp., illustrated with 32 full-page plates by Henri Alvin-Correa included in the pagination and numerous large headpieces, tailpieces, initials, and vignettes illustrating the text; title-page printed in red and gold. 4to, 330 x 260 mm., bound in the original binding of publisher's wrappers over boards with calf spine, in a new cloth folding box. Brussels: L. Vandamme, 1906. A sheer delight of science fiction. This imaginative illustrated work by Henri Alvin Correa (1876-1910), a little-known but extremely gifted Brazilian artist who trained with Detaille and Jean Brunet, still remains a captivating illustrated book over 100 years after it was published. The turn-of-the-century illustrations of the invading Martians, their human captives, and destroyed cities provide a perfect complement to Wells' apocalyptic text. That this work has remained almost completely unknown can only be attributed to its great rarity. The Library of Congress has only the 1981 reprint (for which the text was translated into Portuguese) published at Rio de Janeiro by Editora Nova Fronteira. A superb copy in the deluxe publisher's binding. Some foxing to the tissue guards as usual, but the plates are pristine and the fragile leather spine has some wear. Overall a fine copy of a rare book. Edition limited to 500 copies, signed by Correa, which is not always the case. Unknown to Wick, Turn of the Century 1885-1910.