how much would a first edition of HG Wells war of the world be worth today ??

Answer 1

Abe Books has this: (and more!)

The War Of The Worlds.
Wells, H. G.
Bookseller: COLD TONNAGE BOOKS
(WINDLESHAM, SRY, United Kingdom) Price: £ 2250.00
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Book Description: William Heinemann: London, 1898. First edition.. 16-page publisher's catalogue dated ''Autumn mdcccxcvii'' inserted at rear, original gray cloth, front and spine panels stamped in black, publisher's monogram stamped in black on rear panel, edges untrimmed. An early copy with earliest form of publisher's catalogue inserted at rear. A stunning copy of this classic novel: physically, about as close to the ''perfect'' copy one could expect to acquire nowadays. Aside from a very faint, tiny (thumbtack-sized), light-brown stain or fox mark to cloth at center of outer front joint, a fine copy. Bookseller Inventory # 16203

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2. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
WELLS, H.G.
Bookseller: Steven Temple Books (ABAC / ILAB)
(Toronto, ON, Canada) Price: £ 2206.71
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£ 4.26
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Book Description: Heinemann, London, 1898. Hardcover. First edition. Octavo. Original grey cloth lettered in black. pp viii, 303, [1] + (16) pp Autumn, 1897, ads (earliest form of ads). Spine very lightly darkened; two small foxing spots to inner margin of front free endpaper and half-title leaf; else a near fine copy, no owner names, clean & tight, no rubbing to cover lettering, no owner names. "The best of all his scientific romances still the most remarkable fantasy of imaginary warfare that has so far appeared in the history of the genre." - Clarke, Voices Prophesying War. Orson Welles' radio adaptation of 1938 famously caused a panic as people believed earth was really being invaded by Martians. A nice copy of one the great classics of the SF/Fantasy genre, and scarce in this first printing. Bookseller Inventory # 26702

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3. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
H. G. Wells
Bookseller: Sumner & Stillman [ABAA]
(Yarmouth, ME, U.S.A.) Price: £ 1507.69
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Book Description: 1898, 1898. the invasion of the Martians Wells, H. G. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. London: William Heinemann, 1898. Original grey cloth. First Edition of Wells's classic science fiction tale of the invasion of the Martians, immortalized forty years later in Orson Welles's Hallowe'en radio broadcast. H. G. Wells (spurred on by his brother Frank, to whom this book is dedicated) had always been fascinated by the idea of life on Mars (he had brought up the idea in his HONOURS PHYSIOGRAPHY in 1893). He wrote the book while living in Woking, near London, and the area behind his house was the scene of the first confrontation with the invaders. The book was an immediate success, helped no doubt by the population's perception of the growing threat of invasion by the powers gathering strength across the English Channel. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS was finally produced as a movie in 1953 (starring Gene Barry, with the scene re-located to Southern California), and again starring Tom Cruise in 2005. This copy does not have any ads (according to Currey the book "occurs with and without an inserted publisher's catalogue"; though there is a precedence between the two states in which ads appear, there is no such precedence established for copies without ads). It is in near-fine condition (the endpapers, which bear a small but amateur bookplate, are cracked; there is very little of the usual cover soil). A book increasingly difficult to find in desirable condition. Hammond B5; Wells Society 14; Currey p. 526. FANTASY / SCIENCE FICTION / SUPERNATURAL (CODE:515), London: William Heinemann, 1898. Bookseller Inventory # 515

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4. The War of the Worlds
Wells, H. G.
Bookseller: Dubliners Books
(Midland, TX, U.S.A.) Price: £ 1425.45
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Book Description: William Heinemann, London, 1898. Buckram. Book Condition: Fine. No Jacket. First Edition. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. 8vo, pp. 303. Fine. Bound by the Chelsea Bindery in full dark blue morocco, gilt title and decoration to spine, gilt ruled border to boards, gilt dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges are gilt. First edition beautifully bound. Shipped bubble-wrapped in a box, not a padded envelope. Bookseller Inventory # 000007

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5. The War of The Worlds.
WELLS, H. G.
Bookseller: Adrian Harrington Rare Books, ABA ILAB
(London, ., United Kingdom) Price: £ 1350.00
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Book Description: London: William Heinemann, 1898., 1898. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. 8vo. pp. viii, 303, [Autumn 1897 ads.] Publisher's grey cloth, titles stamped in black, edges untrimmed with white endpapers. Some bumping to head and tail of the spine, uniform darkening with a couple of tiny inkspots to the cloth and some slight scuffing to extremities.Internally clean and tight, an eminently respectable copy of a science fiction classic; giant tripod martian machines bringing destruction and mayhem to Surrey, what more can mankind ask for. Geoffrey H. Wells [14]. Listed in Modern Library's Top 100 Novels [1998]. Bookseller Inventory # 25887

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6. The War of the Worlds
Wells, H. G.
Bookseller: Paton Books BA
(St Albans, Hertfordshire, HE, United Kingdom) Price: £ 1150.00
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Book Description: William Heinemann 1898, London, 1898. Cloth. Book Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. First Edition. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (viii) + 303pp + 16-page publisher's catalogue dated "Autumn mdcccxcvii" inserted at rear. Original grey cloth, front and spine panels stamped in black, publisher's monogram stamped in black on rear panel, edges untrimmed and browning. First edition, first issue with earliest form of publisher's catalogue inserted at rear. Rear endpapers are slightly grubby, some fading and bumping to covers, a few fox spots internally - otherwise an exceptional copy of this classic rare book. Bookseller Inventory # 0000108335

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7. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS...
Wells, H[erbert] G[eorge].
Bookseller: Currey, L.W. Inc. ABAA/ILAB
(Elizabethtown, NY, U.S.A.) Price: £ 1096.50
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£ 2.93
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Book Description: London: William Heinemann, 1898. Octavo, pp. [i-vii] viii [1] 2-303 [304: blank], original gray cloth, front and spine panels stamped in black, publisher's monogram stamped in black on rear panel, top and fore-edges untrimmed, bottom edge rough trimmed. First edition. This book was issued with and without an inserted publisher's catalogue; this copy has no catalogue. "The great classic of interplanetary invasion." - Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years 2331. ".a forceful, sophisticated novel that remains original, intense, and provocative today." - Survey of Science Fiction Literature V, pp. 2416- 23. ".still the most remarkable fantasy of imaginary warfare that has so far appeared in the history of the genre." - Clarke, Voices Prophesying War: Future Wars 1763-3749, p. 86. The War of the Worlds "set the seal on Wells's success. The novel was immediately taken up in Britain and America, and translated into European languages. It has remained popular ever since, spawning many imitations, fathering all invasion-of-earth stories, yet transcending them in the grandeur of its concept." - Bleiler (ed), Science Fiction Writers, p. 27. Anatomy of Wonder (1976) 2-164; (1981) 1-173; (1987) 1-105; and (1995) 1-105. Clareson, Science Fiction in America, 1870s-1930s 802. Clarke, Tale of the Future (1978), p. 24. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, p. 228. Locke, Voyages in Space 210. Suvin, Victorian Science Fiction in the UK, p. 75. In 333. Bleiler (1978), p. 205. Reginald 15108. Currey (2002), p. 426. Hammond B5. Wells 14. Wells Society 14. Cloth a bit dusty, faint damp stain to bottom edge of text block which does not penetrate up into margins, a solid very good copy with tight inner hinges and clean interior. (#102680). Bookseller Inventory # 102680

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8. WAR OF THE WORLDS
Wells, H.G., Illustrated by Warwick Goble
Bookseller: Ottawa House Books
(Eau Claire, WI, U.S.A.) Price: £ 1096.50
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£ 1.60
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Book Description: New York: Harper & Brothers, 1898, New York, 1898. Warwick Goble (illustrator). First American Edition. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. First American Edition. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. 291 pages plus 12 Black and White Illustrations on Coated Paper; Gray Cloth, Black and Green Decorations with Gilt Lettering; VERY GOOD; Clean, No Names or Marks; Sound with Tight Hinges. Bookseller Inventory # B3029

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9. The War of the Worlds
H. G. Wells
Bookseller: Charing Cross Books
(Annerley, QLD, Australia) Price: £ 1022.73
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Book Description: London: Heinemann, 1898, London, 1898. Grey Cloth. Book Condition: Good. First Edition. First Edition. good copy in original grey cloth with black lettering with 16pp of adds. Bookseller Inventory # 000007

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10. The War of the Worlds.
WELLS ( Herbert G. )
Bookseller: James Fenning, ABA
(County Dublin, ., Ireland) Price: £ 935.00
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£ 2.71
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Book Description: William Heinemann, 1898, 1898. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, IN BOOK FORM, pages viii, 303, (16, advertisements dated 1897), 8vo, original cloth : with some light spotting and fingering, the inside joints statring and the binding a little dull but sound and strong, otherwise a good, sound copy in a fitted, fleece-lined, folding cloth library case. The first edition in book form of the great classic of interplanetary invasions - it first appeared serially in 'Pearson's Magazine'. "Begotten by a remark of my brother Frank first to last there is nothing in it that is impossible." - H.G.Wells. "The best of all his scientific romances still the most remarkable fantasy of imaginary warfare that has so far appeared in the history of the genre." - Clarke, Voices Prophesying War. Bookseller Inventory # 9424

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11. The War of the Worlds
Wells, H.G.
Bookseller: Sleepy Hollow Bookshop
(Midland, MI, U.S.A.) Price: £ 877.20
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£ 1.86
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Book Description: Harpers and Brothers, New York, 1898. Hardcover. 1st. Very good First U.S. edition and the first illustrated edition. Black and white illustrations on glossy paper. In original blue cloth, gilt lettering, green & black designs, lightly tanned on spine. Former owner name discreetly written in corner of pastedown, else very good or better. Perhaps the mostly widely-known science fiction classic of all time. Hardcover. Bookseller Inventory # BOOKS001939I

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12. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Wells, H G
Bookseller: b. brown & Assoc
(Seattle, WA, U.S.A.) Price: £ 822.38
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£ 1.86
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Book Description: Harpers, New York, 1898. Hard Cover. Book Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 1st US Ed. 1st US ed. Light binding wear at edges and corners, esp top and bottom of spine which also has a small chip at top, slight soiling at foward edge, slight darkening at spine, rear hinges tightened, previous owner name and number on inisde front cover and front fly, V Good. Green binding, gold lettering, deco front cover. Contains 16 illustrations from the original magazine appearance, not in the British edition. Bookseller Inventory # 98696

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13. The War of the Worlds (ISBN: 0435120050)
Wells, H.G.
Bookseller: delectusbooks.com: 0208.963.0979
(LONDON, GL, United Kingdom) Price: £ 650.00
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£ 3.80
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Book Description: Heinemann, London, 1898. Cloth. Book Condition: Fair. No Jacket. First Edition. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. The story was first printed serially in Pearson's magazine for April to December 1897. A condensed version by Wells was much later printed in "The Strand Magazine" for February, 1920, which contained an introduction in which the author discusses the origin of the work: "The book was begotten by a remark of my brother Frank [to whom the novel is dedicated]. We were walking together throuyh some particularly peaceful Surrey scenery. 'Suppose some beings from another planet were to drop out of the sky suddenly', said he, 'and began laying about them here!' .. That was the point of departure .. And the value of the story to me lies in this, that from first to last there is nothing in it that is impossible". The issue with no inserted advertisements to the rear. Covers grubby and rubbed, titles bright, spine ends and edges rubbed but not pulled, slight crease in lower right corner of front board, flyleaf hinges cracked, but binding still firm, some light foxing to eps. A rare book in any condition, which would probably benefit from some gentle restoration. Bookseller Inventory # 003329

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14. The War Of The Worlds
H. G. Wells
Bookseller: Somer Books
(Bath, a., United Kingdom) Price: £ 574.95
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Book Description: William Heinemann, 1898. Hardcover. Book Condition: Good. 1st Edition. A good copy of this exceptionally hard to find First Edition (second state) of H. G. Wells' classic, genre-defining tale. Hardback, 303 pages + 32 page catalogue. Book condition: Good, moderate bumping, rubbing and soiling to spine and boards, spine significantly darkened but lettering still clear, firmly bound but hinges starting and some internal separation evident book dealer's pencilled notation on front pastedown, light to moderate browning and soiling to endpapers and adjoining pages, two owners' inscriptions on reverse of title (December 1903) and dedication pages (1898 - neatly ruled out), whilst obviously well-read this copy is generally internally clean with light to moderate soiling and browning throughout, a couple pages in the catalogue have been slightly carelessly opened at the fore-edge, otherwise in an excellent condition for a book of this age. No dust jacket. Total weight with packaging just under 800g. Packing and Postage charges include insurance and signed-for delivery. Additional photographs are available on request or from our web site. Bookseller Inventory # 492

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15. The War of the Worlds
H. G. Wells
Bookseller: Wadsworth Rare Books
(Surrey, SY, United Kingdom) Price: £ 550.00
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£ 4.02
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Book Description: C. Arthur Pearson. Green Cloth - Gilt. Book Condition: Very Good. First Edition. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Six consecutive volumes. Vol 1: Jan-Jun 1896. Vol 2: Jul-Dec 1896. Vol 3: Jan-Jun 1897. Vol 4:July-Dec 1897. Vol 5: Jan-Jun 1898. Vol 6: July-Dec 1898. Includes the very first printing of H. G. Wells - The War Of The Worlds in serial form, illustrated by Warwick Goble (Volumes 3 and 4). Original publisher's Art Nouveau gilt decorated cloth. Some slight fading to lower covers of volumes 3, 5 and 6. New endpapers. A splendid bright and solid (and heavy) set. Bookseller Inventory # 000591

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16. WAR OF THE WORLDS (COSMOPOLITAN MAGAZINE 1897)
Wells, H.G.
Bookseller: COBBLESTONE BOOKS
(Sacramento, CA, U.S.A.) Price: £ 548.25
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£ 3.46
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Book Description: Cosmopolitan Press, New York, 1897. Soft Cover. Warwick Gobel and Cosmo Rowe (illustrator). 1st. Three issues of Cosmopolitan Magazine in Good to near fine condition. April 1897 First American appearance of War of the Worlds has been chewed by a rodent and is 3 inches long by1/2 inch deep and affects about two thirds of the top edge of the pages (but dosen't affect any of the type), chipping to the top and bottom of the spine. July , 1897 Part Seven near fine in wrappers with a small chip to the bottom of the spine. September, 1897 Part Fifteen Near fine in wrappers with light chipping to the top and bottom of the spine, several corner creases and several small closed tears. Cornerstone of Science fiction and Historically important. Scarce !. Bookseller Inventory # 22283

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17. The War of the Worlds
H G Wells
Bookseller: John Davies
(Wirral, ., United Kingdom) Price: £ 485.00
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£ 3.35
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Book Description: Heinemann, London, 1898. Original Cloth. Book Condition: Good. No Jacket. First Edition. 7.5" x 5.5". This is a second state copy, with the 32-page publisher's advertisements at the back, of this very rare first edition of one of the early classics of science fiction - and a novel that has captured the public's imagination like few others. Measuring 7.5" x 5.5", it has 303 uncut pages, plus the publisher's ads., and weighs 600g. I would rate the book's condition as good. The original grey cloth covers are reasonably sound, though with some edge-wear, rubbing and age-soiling. There is a library number on the spine. The binding remains quite tight and secure, just beginning to ease at one or two inner hinges. The text is pretty clean save for light foxing throughout and the odd mark. The book belonged to the Ramsgate Congregational Institute Library and there is just the one neat sticker on the front pastedown and a replacement front free endpaper. A sound and attractive copy of this rarity, priced for the collector on a budget. Ex-Library. Bookseller Inventory # 000536

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18. The War of the Worlds
Wells, H. G.
Bookseller: Weobley Bookshop BA
(Hereford, ., United Kingdom) Price: £ 400.00
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£ 2.75
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Book Description: William Heinemann, 1898. 1st Edition. 1st edition 1st state - 16 pages of adverts at the back. The cloth on the boards is very worn, and on the front are the remnants of an old sticker: St Ann's Hill Circulating Library. The binding is quite strong (starting to go a little at the front hinge) and there is very little foxing. There are no inscriptions, but `227' is written on the front pastedown in what looks like blue crayon. Bookseller Inventory # 29498

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Answer 2

1

Answer 3

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/axbrx

I wouldn't agree that he 'attacks religion' in the book. In the novel the main character is the Narrator who isn't completely atheist in his beliefs. If he were, the storyline might not have appealed to the reader as it would have been too controversial at the time it was written. H.G. Wells was a strong supporter of the theory of evolution, and saw every species as being engaged in a constant, and often brutal struggle for survival. In the book, the Martian/mankind conflict is portrayed as a similar struggle, but on a larger scale. The book explores the morality inherent in social Darwinism, but I don't agree that it therefore means that it is 'anti-religion.' The War of the Worlds was written in the late Victorian era (1898) when many people were questioning religion and exploring atheist ideas. Wells was an atheist, a follower of Darwin and a socialist. He had strong ideologies and many opinions on religious beliefs; especially when it came to Christianity and Judaism. Its worth knowing that Wells advocated a level of eugenics that was even more extreme than Hitler’s: that the weak should be killed by the strong, having ‘no pity and less benevolence’. The diseased, deformed and insane, together with ‘those swarms of blacks, and brown, and dirty-white, and yellow people … will have to go’ in order to create a scientific utopia. He envisioned a time when all crime would be punished by death because ‘People who cannot live happily and freely in the world without spoiling the lives of others are better out of it.

Answer 4

Do you have the British first edition or the American first edition. That makes a difference as I think the British edition was out first and worth a little more than the American edition.

On abebooks.com, there are some who have the British first edition and are selling it from $2000 - $4500. It all depends on the condition of the book and what a collector would be willing to pay for it.

Answer 5

The narrator of the story hides together with a curate who has been traumatized by the attacks and is therefore behaving erratically. Eventually the curate starts loudly proclaiming his repentance. Terrified that they will be heard, the narrator knocks the curate unconscious, but the man's body is discovered by the Martians and dragged away. I suppose this shows technology triumphing over a religious mad man, so in that respect might be considered an attack on religion. Also, the Martians are eventually defeated by natural causes rather than prayer.

Answer 6

Cold Tonnage Books

Answer 7

Either check with rarebooksellers' websites or with Sothbey's or Christie's auction house websites. Or go to the Library of Congress' website at: loc.gov and post your question there.

Answer 8

If it is the writer's copy of the first copy put out to be sold , that one is wroth a lot. But if it is the first copy dated at the first sale in public ..not that much because there are a lot of them out there.

Answer 9

Whatever someone is willing to pay for it!

Check ebay and see if there is one for sale and what the going rate is.

Answer 10

Like 10000$ or so??