A collection of HG Wells novels, including several first editions, picked up £20,240 ($27,111) in a recent sale at Cuttlestones in Wolverhampton, UK.

All of the books were sold as individual lots.

The War in the Air was the headliner, achieving £7,500 ($10,046).

HG Wells wrote in a range of styles but is best known for his science fiction

Vitally, this first edition copy (published in 1907 by George Bell and Sons) came complete with its original dust jacket.

The book features an aggressively imperial Germany launching an unprovoked attack on the US, seven years before the outbreak of the first world war.

A first edition copy of Kipps: the Story of a Simple Soul made £4,500 ($6,027).

It’s one of Wells’ lesser known works, but his  personal favourite.

Specialist Rosie Blackburn told the Wolverhampton Express and Star: "The collectors were out in force for what was undoubtedly a very important and rare collection of works by one of the forefathers of the sci-fi genre.

"The books in this collection were by no means Wells’ best-known, but they do showcase his huge scope as an author – covering genres as diverse as sci-fi, humour, realist, military and even proto-feminist.

"It just goes to show that, despite the growing popularity of e-books there is still a very strong collectors’ market for paper and ink.”

We have some brilliant books and manuscripts for sale.

Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about book and manuscript auctions.