The Soul of a Bishop : A Novel (with Just a Little Love in It) about Conscience and Religion and The Real Troubles of Life
London: Cassell and Company, 1917. First edition, first printing. Publisher's green cloth titled in gilt and blind, in tan printed dust jacket (6/-net on spine). Octavo. 320pp. 7.75" x 5.25" Very mild shelf wear with light foxing text block edges, overall near fine in very good or better, lighlty edge worn dust jacket with some toning and light soiling to spine panel, in mylar cover. Internally very clean and tight. Item #237156
In The Soul of a Bishop, Wells turns from his familiar terrain of speculative fiction and ventures into a probing narrative of faith, war, and institutional religion. The novel’s protagonist, Bishop Edward Scrope, endures insomnia, theological doubt, and visionary experience amid the upheavals of World War I, leading to a dramatic resignation from church office and a search for a more vital spirituality. Drawing on Wells’s contemporaneous tract "God the Invisible King," the book offers a fictional exploration of his critique of the creeds, the efficacy of the Church and the role of religion in a changing world. A characteristically bold and unusual work from Wells, this book merits attention from collectors of religious fiction, Wells scholars, and those engaged in early‑20th‑century intellectual life.
[Hammond A14].
Price: $325.00