Published in May of 1895 in both the U.S. and the U.K. (to
be precise, within 3 weeks of one another), these two editions, surprisingly,
are differing versions of the tale. The
British first edition is a bit longer with more material...you can find that
here:
Apparently, Wells used different bits and parts from his earlier manuscripts that form the development of the story…hence we have essentially the same book with variations. Odd indeed…two first editions of the same book which can stand independently of one another!