Arrangement
The collection arrived at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library in two binders, with items housed in plastic sleeves. The collection has been left in its original order, with the original binders and sleeves retained.
Abstract
The Frederick Joseph Wells collection consists of 96 items, including personal letters from H. G. Wells to family members, drawings by H. G. Wells, photographs of the Wells family, and other documents related to the Wells family.
Administrative/Biographical History
Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, screenwriter, and political figure. A prolific author, he wrote from 1893 to his death in 1946. He is considered to be the father of modern science fiction and is best known for novels such as The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds. Wells wrote several additional novels, as well as nonfiction books and essays concerning the improvement of society.
After divorcing his first wife, Isabel Mary Wells (1866?-1930), in 1895, Wells married Amy Catherine Robbins (1872-1927), commonly referred to as "Jane." H. G. and Jane Wells had two sons: George Philip Wells and Frank Richard Wells. George Philip Wells married Marjorie Craig, who acted as H. G.'s secretary in the later years of his life.
Frederick Joseph Wells (1862-1954) was the older brother of H. G. Wells. He was apprenticed to English drapers before immigrating to Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1902. He returned to England around 1921 and married Edith Neal, a cousin from his maternal side; they had one daughter, Jean Wells.
Sources
Parrinder, Patrick. "Wells, Herbert George (1866-1946)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online edition. 2011. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/36831
Wells, H. G. Experiment in Autobiography. Discoveries and Conclusions of a Very Ordinary Brain (Since 1866). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1967.
Author: Lisa Vallen
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