Tono Bungay, H.G. Wells. Published by Heritage Press, New York, 1960. 4to – over 9¾” – 12″ tall; 355pp., illustrated in black and white and colour; introduction by Norman H. Strouse; illustrations by Lynton Lamb. Orange cloth boards with gilt spine titles and illustration; red illustration to front board. Housed in a green slipcase. Volume is in fine, unread condition; slipcase has moderate shelf wear with edge rubbing and light scuffing.
Tono-Bungay is widely regarded as Wells’s finest novel, combining futuristic science fiction and contemporary social satire. It is narrated by young George Ponderevo, who leaves college to help his Uncle Edward market Tono-Bungay, a worthless medicine. The medicine becomes a huge commercial success, causing George to reflect on the sickness at the heart of a society that lets itself be so easily duped. He begins to search for a new order to replace the old one, a quest that leads him to dangerous aeronautical experiments.
