The Door in the Wall and Other Stories, by H. G. Wells, with photographs by Alvin Langdon Coburn. Boston: David R. Godine. $5.95.

September 8, 1980

This wonderful book represents a rare combining of talents: 8 stories written by the famed science fiction writer H. G. Wells and 10 black-and-white photographs by American artist-photographer Alvin Coburn. The short stories display Wells in a variety of moods, providing a well-rounded survey of his style. The title story tells of a man haunted by visions recurring since childhood of an enchanted garden. The reader is left to decide whether or not the garden was real or only a cherished childhood dream. Wells invited Coburn to illustrate this story as well as others Coburn felt his photographs would suit. The result, published in 1911, is a landmark among photo-illustrated books. This beautiful new edition is a facsimile of the original, but in a much smaller and more affordable pocket-size format.