London: Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd, 1911. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. First edition, binding variant A. Octavo. Dark green cloth, spine stamped in gilt (also seen in blue cloth) Top edge and foredge are moderately foxed, a very good or better copy in a good example of the rare printed dust jacket, the spine browned and modestly stained. *The Hampdenshire Wonder*, the author's first novel, features a child genius, and explores his treatment by those around him. The story can also be read as a partial detective novel, a genre Beresford returned to later in the *Instrument of Destiny*. *The Hampdenshire Wonder* was the first novel to deal fully with the sociological implications of a vastly superior human amongst us. In Beresford's second science fiction novel, *Goslings*, published in 1913, a plague empties London, resulting in an all-female society, considered the first time that the idea was treated seriously by an author, predating Charlotte P. Gilman's *Herland,* by a couple of years. According to Locke, this novel is "... the study of a child with super intelligence; regarded by some as the best superman novel before Stapledon's Odd John" (Locke, *Spectrum of Fantasy*. p.31). Rare in jacket.

Reviews

(Log in or Create an Account first!)

Details

Bookseller: Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 470432
Title: The Hampdenshire Wonder
Author: BERESFORD, J.D
Format/Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition: Good
Quantity Available: 1
Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd
Place of Publication: London
Date Published: 1911
Keywords: VintageDustjackets, Science-Fiction/Horror

Terms of Sale

Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA

All books are first editions unless otherwise noted. All books are returnable within ten days if returned in the same condition as sent. We accept VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER, PAYPAL, checks and money orders. New Jersey residents please add 6.625% sales tax. All items guaranteed, all items subject to prior sale. Members ABAA, ILAB. Shipping is $4.50 for Media Mail, $10.00 for Priority Mail or UPS Ground. Tracking is provided for every order. Alternate shipping available by request. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.

About the Seller

Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA

This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

Biblio member since 2005

Gloucester City, New Jersey

Ask Seller a Question

About Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA

Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc., founded in 1985, specializes in first editions of 20th Century American and English fiction. Our inventory of over 75,000 first editions includes: African-American literature & history, Mysteries, Detective Fiction, Drama, Books into Film and Sports books. We routinely issue extensively illustrated color catalogs, available by subscription. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA)and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). Tom Congalton, founder of Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc., actively promotes the ethics and standards of these professional organizations and served as President of the ABAA from 2000 to 2002.

Glossary
Frequently asked questions

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Jacket: Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
Octavo: Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
First Edition: In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Cloth: "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
Gilt: The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
Spine: The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
Foxed: Foxing is the age related browning, or brown-yellowish spots, that can occur to book paper over time. When this aging process...