The Autocracy of Mr Parham: His Remarkable Adventures in this Changing World

$150 · Offered by Book Collector Inc

Author: Herbert George "H G" Wells (1866-1946) Year: 1930 Publisher: William Heinemann, Ltd Place: London Description: vii+370 pages with 10 plates. Small octavo (7 1/2" x 5") bound in original publisher's red cloth with gilt lettering to spine in original pictorial jacket. First edition. Mr Parham is a university don with right-wing politics who dreams of finding a rich benefactor to finance a review he can edit. He thinks he has found such a man in Sir Bussy Woodcock, a "crude plutocrat" who makes money at anything to which he puts his hand. In an attempt to foster this acquaintance that goes on for six years, Mr Parham finds himself involved in seances that summon a Master Spirit from the beyond. This entity occupies Mr Parham's body, and commences to inspire a political movement (the League of Duty Paramount) that overthrows the British government in a coup d'etat. As "Lord Paramount," Mr Parham undertakes to conquer the world. But the opposition of the United States ultimately leads to a "Second World War" that goes badly for Britain. Believing that he can win if he overcomes the resistance of industrialists who control a new poison gas ("Gas L") but who refuse to make it available to the military, he attacks their stronghold... and it is at this point that Mr Parham reawakens from what has been a wild dream he had when he fell asleep during the seance. Shortly thereafter he discovers that Sir Bussy has never had any attention on conferring an editorship upon him, and th

• Binding: Hardcover

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