The Battle of Dorking

£700 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

Published anonymously, this early war and invasion narrative was an important forerunner of popular science fiction novels such as H.G. Wells The War of the Worlds . Written by George Tomkins Chesney as a warning to the British armed forces, of which he was a member, illustrating the threat posed by underinvestment in the military, he projects the possibility of ‘The Other Power’ (essentially Prussia) successfully invading through the Dorking gap and overwhelming British ground forces, following the rather implausible but narratively convenient destruction of the entire Royal Navy by mysterious “fatal engines”. Very good, cover remarkable bright and clean with a couple light spots of soiling, some foxing within but mostly restricted to prelims and remaining very presentable overall.

• Year: 1871

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