Henrique Alvim-CorrĂȘa (1876-1910), a Brazilian artist living in Belgium, read HG Wells' The War of the Worlds in 1903 and was so moved by the novel that he began to illustrate the work uncommissioned. In 1905 he travelled to London in order to present his work to Wells. 1/
HG Wells was deeply impressed by Alvim-CorrĂȘa's striking illustrations, so much so, that he invited him to illustrate this, the first French translation in book form. Wells later stated that "Alvim-CorrĂȘa did more for my work with his brush than I with my pen". 2/
This fragile edition of Wells's science-fiction classic was issued in a run of just 500 copies. The original illustrations, which remained in the family after the artist's premature death from tuberculosis in 1910, appeared in 2015 at auction, realising over $225 000. 3/
This edition uses the translation of Henry-Durand Davray, Wells's long term friend and the "architect of Wells's early reception". Davray's was the first translation of the work into French and was first published serially in the Mercure de France from Oct. 1899 - Mar. 1900). 4/
A few more of Alvim-CorrĂȘa's nightmarish illustrations for the 1906 French edition of H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic... 5/
... 6/
...7/
Loading suggestions...