Mr W and a dear friend who died … two more Invisible Men behind Little Wars 1913?

Following my post on the people behind H.G. Wells’ development of Little Wars:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2021/01/21/the-invisible-men-and-women-behind-h-g-wells-little-wars-and-floor-games/

Thanks to Rahway’s comments about the Scholarly Editing text edition of Little Wars, the two editors have suggestions on who two more of the unattributed names are: Mr W and a dear friend who died, suggested as Graham Wallas and George Gissing.

https://scholarlyediting.org/2017/editions/littlewars/fulltext.html#note5

Thanks to Nigel Lepianka and Deanna Stover at Scholarly Editing for this research.

According to them, the identity of Mr M and his brother Captain M “Hot from the Great War in Africa” remained as yet unidentified. Until now?

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2021/02/05/mr-m-and-his-brother-captain-hot-from-the-great-war-in-south-africa-identified-h-g-wells-and-little-wars-1913/

Graham Wallas, like Wells, was interested in socialism.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Wallas

George Gissing the writer

George Robert Gissing (22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. His best-known novels, which have reappeared in modern editions, include The Nether World (1889), New Grub Street (1891) and The Odd Women (1893).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gissing

The dates of Gissing’s death fits Wells’ pen portrait of his dear ailing friend, who died six or seven years ago if Little Wars was published in 1913 but probably written in stages over several years including the two published Windsor Magazine articles 1912 and Floor Games in 1911.

Gissing died aged 46 on 28 December 1903 having caught a chill on an ill-advised winter walk. He is buried in the English cemetery at Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Veranilda was published incomplete in 1904.

H. G. Wells, after a Christmas Eve telegram, came to Gissing at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in his final days and helped to nurse him. Wells characterized him as a “flimsy inordinate stir of grey matter”, adding: “He was a pessimistic writer. He spent his big fine brain depreciating life, because he would not and perhaps could not look life squarely in the eyes — neither his circumstances nor the conventions about him nor the adverse things about him nor the limitations of his personal character. But whether it was nature or education that made this tragedy I cannot tell.”[27] Will Warburton was published in 1905, as was his final volume, the short-story collection The House of Cobwebs.[28]. (Wikipedia source George Gissing)

Thanks Wikipedia – and happy 20th Birthday!

New Grub Street is a version of Fleet Street, the newspaper and journalists’ haunt of old, close to Red Lion Court (Bloomsbury?) where Wells’ publisher Frank Palmer worked.

I have ordered a second hand copy of Gissing’s letters to H G Wells, as I enjoy Gissing’s books.

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, January

And Girls Did Play Too? E. Nesbit’s version of H G Wells’ Floor Games – Wings and the Child 1913

One of Edith Nesbit’s elaborate play palaces and magical cities in Wings and the Child (1913)

I have previously mentioned E. Nesbit’s curious short story The City in the Library 1901 with her own children featured in this odd fever dream:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/06/25/how-to-feed-toy-soldiers/

Wells and Nesbit knew of each other and had links to the socialist Fabian Society (after which she named her son Fabian).

Scholarly Editing indeed: Intriguing references to Britain’s Civilians and E. Nesbit’s Wings and the Child. As ever, the Brontes! Scholarly Editing 2017, Volume 38 Little Wars by H. G. Wells Edited by Nigel Lepianka and Deanna Stover

Thanks to Rahway flagging up a scholarly editing of the Little Wars text, Scholarly Editing 2017, Volume 38- Little Wars by H. G. Wells – edited by Nigel Lepianka and Deanna Stover

https://scholarlyediting.org/2017/editions/littlewars/intro.html#page_info

I discovered that E.Nesbit, in parallel to Wells writing Floor Games (1911), wrote her own book on how to make miniature worlds and magical cities, published in 1913, the year Little Wars was published.

Wings and the Child can be read here in text form with illustrations:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/38977/38977-h/38977-h.htm#Page_3

Lots to enjoy and ponder here for the weekend.

The book reminds me of Edwardian “gardening with children” manuals. The relatively new idea of “Childhood” for some, especially middle class Edwardian childhood, suddenly needed its Parenting manuals. Arguably these are an improvement on the stereotypical Victorian parenting of “Children should be seen and not heard” – especially in Sunday’s – and preferably not seen either.

“Now send them off to the Nursery with the Nurse or Governess or Boarding School …”

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 23 January 2021