LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2006 October Grand Format Autographs #629  / 

25756

Three John Wyndham Science Fiction Classics

Currency:USD Category:Books / Fiction Books Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:600.00 - 700.00 USD
Three John Wyndham Science Fiction Classics
<B>Three John Wyndham Science Fiction Classics.</B></I> Three books: <B><I>The Day of the Triffids</B></I></B></I> <B>Signed First Edition.</B></I> (London: Michael Joseph, 1951), first edition, 302 pages, green cloth binding with silver lettering on spine, 12mo (5" x 7.5"), dust jacket (laminated). Likely signed by the author "<I>John Wyndham Harris</B></I>" in pencil on front free endpaper. Author's birth name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, and he both published under and signed various combinations of his name. Apparently, he signed this edition for Eric Quayle, a fellow British author, whose bookplate is affixed to the front paste-down. <I>The Day of the Triffids</B></I> is Wyndham's most famous work, a Soviet-phobic, post-apocalyptic tale that has been adapted for radio, television, and film. The triffids of the title are poisonous, ambulatory plants made deadly after their powers are magnified by a meteor shower. This copy is very good, with slight edge wear to the book and slight folding on the cover of the jacket.<BR><B><I>The Kraken Wakes</B></I></B></I> <B>First Edition.</B></I> (London: Michael Joseph, 1953), first edition, 288 pages, burgundy cloth with gilt lettering on spine, 12mo (5" x 7.5"), dust jacket. This novel about a multi-phase alien attack of Earth was published in the Unites States as <I>Out of the Deeps.</B></I> The title is a reference to Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 1830 sonnet "The Kraken," in which a Scandinavian sea monster awakens when "fire shall heat the deep." This book is about very good, showing scant wear at the corners. The dust jacket has noticeable wear at the edges and flap folds, with chipping at the head and tail of the spine.<BR><B><I>The Chrysalids</B></I></B></I> <B>First Edition.</B></I> (London: Michael Joseph, 1955), first edition, 239 pages, black cloth binding with gilt lettering on spine, 12mo (5" x 7.5"), dust jacket (in protective Mylar). Generally considered Wyndham's best novel, it is the only novel of his big three not set in a contemporary 1950s England. <I>The Chrysalids</B></I> makes a powerful statement about the practical effects of nuclear war on a future society. This copy is good, with slight edge wear and very minimal evidence of foxing to the edges and endpapers. The dust jacket shows edge and corner wear, with slight chipping on the spine. Unique opportunity to catch three Wyndham classics in one cast.
Sign In to Bookmark Lot