The Shape of Things To Comb

The author and political visionary H. G Wells was a true polymath and Renaissance man. When not writing his ingenious novels of science-fiction and social satire, Wells devoted much of his genius to the study of hairstyling and other salon arts.
Known as the Barbershop Notebooks, his private papers contain many elaborate and revolutionary designs for hairstyles such as "The War of the Curls," "The Toupée Machine," "The Country of the Blonde" and "The Invisible Perm." But most exciting of all was an experimental anti-baldness regimen called "The History of Mr Follicle." According to his notes, Wells' ground-breaking cure involved setting fire to the scalp and then waiting to see how fate intervened.
Although no modern dressers-of-hair acknowledge his influence, in many respects Wells can be described as a sort of Victorian Vidal Sassoon with Edwardian highlights complimenting a futuristic fringe. There was no room for conventional, Tory establishment side-partings in Wells' dystopian beauty school, yet the dull, unimaginative, so-called "crew cut" of Fabian coiffure was also anathema to him. He admired Kipling's bearing, but abhorred his mustache.
Ultimately, of course, H. G. Wells will be remembered as the subject of this blog post, but, if you do have an appointment at your local hair salon in the next few weeks, and are feeling the need for a new and trend-setting look, then you could do much worse than reacquaint yourself with the works of this sublime fantasist.

Comments

[L]

You could do much worse? What could be worse that have your scalp set your scalp on fire?

[Lloyd Mintern]

I think I said that wrong.

[Mike]

It is said that Wells was influenced by Poe's own tales of tonsorial torment. Who could forget "The Telltale Part"?

You started it.

[stephenesque]

Lloyd: I think you are, er, splitting hairs?

Mike: And who can forget "tales of tonsorial torment." An outstanding phrase.