# Is "The Wheels of Chance" by H. G. Wells a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Wheels of Chance by H. G. Wells (J. M. Dent & Co., 1896) is identified by: Dent & Co., London, in 1896, subtitled 'A Bicycling Idyll' and illustrated with 40 drawings by J.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published by J. M. Dent & Co., London, in 1896, subtitled 'A Bicycling Idyll' and illustrated with 40 drawings by J. Ayton Symington
- The first edition is octavo, collating xiii + 313 + [1] pages plus 10 pages of publisher's advertisements dated October 1896, with an imprint on page 314, the verso of the last text leaf, that marks the first issue
- The publisher's binding is red cloth, gilt-stamped with a cyclist figure on the front board, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed, with bevelled boards
- Publisher imprint reads J. M. Dent & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | H. G. Wells |
| Publisher | J. M. Dent & Co. |
| Year | 1896 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published by J. M. Dent & Co., London, in 1896, subtitled 'A Bicycling Idyll' and illustrated with 40 drawings by J. Ayton Symington |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published by J. M. Dent & Co., London, in 1896, subtitled 'A Bicycling Idyll' and illustrated with 40 drawings by J. Ayton Symington. The first edition is octavo, collating xiii + 313 + [1] pages plus 10 pages of publisher's advertisements dated October 1896, with an imprint on page 314, the verso of the last text leaf, that marks the first issue. The publisher's binding is red cloth, gilt-stamped with a cyclist figure on the front board, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed, with bevelled boards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Wheels of Chance* by H. G. Wells a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-wheels-of-chance
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.