H.G. Wells

When penniless businessman Mr Bedford retreats to the Kent coast to write a play, he meets by chance the brilliant Dr Cavor, an absent-minded scientist on the brink of developing a material that blocks gravity. Cavor soon succeeds in his experiments, only to tell a stunned Bedford the invention makes possible one of the oldest dreams of humanity: a journey to the moon. With Bedford motivated by money, and Cavor by the desire for knowledge, the two embark on the expedition. But neither are prepared for what they find - a world of freezing nights, boiling days and sinister alien life, on which they may be trapped forever.

The Time Machine and The Invisible Man, by H. G. Wells, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.   The Time Machine, H. G. Wells’s first novel, is a tale of Darwinian evolution taken to its extreme. Its hero, a young scientist, travels 800,000 years into the future and discovers a dying earth populated by two strange humanoid species: the brutal Morlocks and the gentle but nearly helpless Eloi.The Invisible Man mixes chilling terror, suspense, and acute psychological understanding into a tale of an equally adventurous scientist who discovers the formula for invisibility—a secret that drives him mad.Immensely popular during his lifetime, H. G. Wells, along with Jules Verne, is credited with inventing science fiction. This new volume offers two of Wells’s best-loved and most critically acclaimed “scientific romances.” In each, the author grounds his fantastical imagination in scientific fact and conjecture while lacing his narrative with vibrant action, not merely to tell a “ripping yarn,” but to offer a biting critique on the world around him. “The strength of Mr. Wells,” wrote Arnold Bennett, “lies in the fact that he is not only a scientist, but a most talented student of character, especially quaint character. He will not only ingeniously describe for you a scientific miracle, but he will set down that miracle in the midst of a country village, sketching with excellent humour the inn-landlady, the blacksmith, the chemist’s apprentice, the doctor, and all the other persons whom the miracle affects.”   Alfred Mac Adam teaches literature at Barnard College-Columbia University. He is a translator and art critic.

Librarian note: An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here. Ranked among the classic novels of the English language and the inspiration for several unforgettable movies, this early work of H. G. Wells was greeted in 1896 by howls of protest from reviewers, who found it horrifying and blasphemous. They wanted to know more about the wondrous possibilities of science shown in his first book, The Time Machine, not its potential for misuse and terror. In The Island of Dr. Moreau, a shipwrecked gentleman named Edward Prendick, stranded on a Pacific island lorded over by the notorious Dr. Moreau, confronts dark secrets, strange creatures, and a reason to run for his life. While this riveting tale was intended to be a commentary on evolution, divine creation, and the tension between human nature and culture, modern readers familiar with genetic engineering will marvel at Wells’s prediction of the ethical issues raised by producing “smarter” human beings or bringing back extinct species. These levels of interpretation add a richness to Prendick’s adventures on Dr. Moreau’s island of lost souls without distracting from what is still a rip-roaring good read.

This masterpiece of science fiction is the fascinating story of Griffin, a scientist who creates a serum to render himself invisible, and his descent into madness that follows.

'That black figure, with its eyes of fire, struck down through all my adult thoughts and feelings, and for a moment the forgotten horrors of childhood came back to my mind' Adrift in a dinghy, Edward Prendick, the single survivor from the good ship Lady Vain, is rescued by a vessel carrying a profoundly unusual cargo - a menagerie of savage animals. Tended to recovery by their keeper Montgomery, who gives him dark medicine that tastes of blood, Prendick soon finds himself stranded upon an uncharted island in the Pacific with his rescuer and the beasts. Here, he meets Montgomery's master, the sinister Dr. Moreau - a brilliant scientist whose notorious experiments in vivisection have caused him to abandon the civilised world. It soon becomes clear he has been developing these experiments - with truly horrific results.

From the "father of science fiction," H. G. Wells, comes two masterpieces of speculative The Time Machine and The Invisible Man. The former propels the reader into the distant future, where a decaying Earth is being gradually swallowed by the Sun and where two strange species--the delicate Eloi and the fierce, subterranean Morlocks--inhabit an eerie dystopia. The latter offers the mesmerizing account of a bitter young scientist who discovers the chemical secret of invisibility, uses it on himself, and embarks on a terrifying descent into crime, obsession, and insanity. Both horrifying and thought-provoking, these cautionary tales are combined into an elegantly designed edition that features a new introduction.

“I’ve had a most amazing time....” So begins the Time Traveller’s astonishing firsthand account of his journey 800,000 years beyond his own era—and the story that launched H.G. Wells’s successful career and earned him his reputation as the father of science fiction. With a speculative leap that still fires the imagination, Wells sends his brave explorer to face a future burdened with our greatest hopes...and our darkest fears. A pull of the Time Machine’s lever propels him to the age of a slowly dying Earth.  There he discovers two bizarre races—the ethereal Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks—who not only symbolize the duality of human nature, but offer a terrifying portrait of the men of tomorrow as well.  Published in 1895, this masterpiece of invention captivated readers on the threshold of a new century. Thanks to Wells’s expert storytelling and provocative insight, The Time Machine will continue to enthrall readers for generations to come.  

Includes the stories: The Time Machine, The Empire of the Ants, The Country of the Blind, The Man Who Could Work Miracles.

THE COLLECTED NOVELS OF H.G. WELLS includes 33 novels and novellas by British "father of science fiction" H.G. Wells. Several of Wells' books have become classics of science fiction, including THE TIME MACHINE, THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU, THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, and THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON. Wells was also an accomplished writer in other genres, with works like KIPPS and TONO-BUNGAY often considered among his finest as well. This collection also includes several of Wells' lesser-known novellas and novels, including his first time-travel story, THE CHRONIC ARGONAUTS. • The Chronic Argonauts • The Time Machine • The Wonderful Visit • The Island of Doctor Moreau • The Wheels of Chance • The Invisible Man • The War of the Worlds • When the Sleeper Wakes • Love and Mr. Lewisham • The First Men in the Moon • The Sea Lady • The Food of the Gods and How it Came to Earth • A Modern Utopia • Kipps • In the Days of the Comet • The War in the Air • Ann Veronica • Tono-Bungay • The History of Mr. Polly • The Sleeper Awakes • The New Machiavelli • Marriage • The Passionate Friends • The Wife of Sir Isaac Harmon • The World Set Free • Bealby • Boon • The Research Magnificent • Mr. Britling Sees it Through • The Soul of a Bishop • Joan and Peter • The Undying Fire • The Secret Places of the Heart Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) was a prolific 19th- and 20th century British science fiction writer. Together with French author Jules Verne, Wells has been called "The Father of Science Fiction." Wells was an outspoken socialist and sympathetic to pacifist views. Best known for his early works of science fiction, his later works became increasingly political in nature. This expanded Third Edition includes additional works as well as a number of editorial corrections.

The Wheels of Chance is an early comic novel by H. G. Wells about an August 1895 cycling holiday's.The Wheels of Chance was written at the height of the cycling craze 1890-1905, when practical, comfortable bicycles first became widely and cheaply available and before the rise of the automobile.The advent of the bicycle stirred sudden and profound changes in the social life of England. Even the working class could travel substantial distances, quickly and cheaply, and the very idea of travelling for pleasure became a possibility for thousands of people for the first time. This new freedom affected many. It began to weaken the rigid English class structure and it gave an especially powerful boost to the existing movement toward female emancipation. Wells explored these social changes in his story.

The Time Machine, H. G. Wells's first novel, is a tale of Darwinian evolution taken to its extreme. Its hero, a young scientist, travels 800,000 years into the future and discovers a dying earth populated by two strange humanoid species: the brutal Morlocks and the gentle but nearly helpless Eloi. The Invisible Man mixes chilling terror, suspense, and acute psychological understanding into a tale of an equally adventurous scientist who discovers the formula for invisibility: secret that drives him mad. Immensely popular during his lifetime, H. G. Wells, along with Jules Verne, is credited with inventing science fiction. This new volume offers two of Wells's best-loved and most critically acclaimed "scientific romances." In each, the author grounds his fantastical imagination in scientific fact and conjecture while lacing his narrative with vibrant action, not merely to tell a "ripping yarn," but to offer a biting critique on the world around him. "The strength of Mr. Wells," wrote Arnold Bennett, "lies in the fact that he is not only a scientist, but a most talented student of character, especially quaint character. He will not only ingeniously describe for you a scientific miracle, but he will set down that miracle in the midst of a country village, sketching with excellent humour the inn-landlady, the blacksmith, the chemist's apprentice, the doctor, and all the other persons whom the miracle affects."

Orphaned at an early age, raised by his aunt and uncle, and apprenticed for seven years to a draper, Artie Kipps is stunned to discover upon reading a newspaper advertisement that he is the grandson of a wealthy gentleman - and the inheritor of his fortune. Thrown dramatically into the upper classes, he struggles desperately to learn the etiquette and rules of polite society. But as he soon discovers, becoming a 'true gentleman' is neither as easy nor as desirable as it at first appears.

Mr Polly is an ordinary middle-aged man who is tired of his wife's nagging and his dreary job as the owner of a regional gentleman's outfitters. Faced with the threat of bankruptcy, he concludes that the only way to escape his frustrating existence is by burning his shop to the ground, and killing himself. Unexpected events, however, conspire at the last moment to lead the bewildered Mr Polly to a bright new future - after he saves a life, fakes his death, and escapes to a life of heroism, hope and ultimate happiness.

A gennaio (circa 1900, presumibilmente), la gente della Terra si è svegliata alla notizia che uno strano oggetto luminoso è esploso, nel Sistema Solare , dopo aver disturbato la normale orbita del pianeta Nettuno . L'oggetto è un corpo celeste la cui luminosità è distinguibile nel cielo attorno alla costellazione del Leone . Sebbene inizialmente interessi solo gli astronomi, alla fine i media mondiali annunciano che si tratta di una stella intera , diretta in rotta di collisione verso il centro del nostro sistema stellare. La stella ha già consumato Nettuno. Molte persone sono preoccupate per questo, ma nel complesso si tratta di poco più di una moda passeggera. La stella canaglia continua il suo percorso, influenzando ora il pianeta Giove e tutte le sue lune . A questo punto, gli studi di un matematico vengono pubblicati in tutto il mondo. Spiega che la stella intrusa e il nostro Sole esercitano un'attrazione gravitazionale reciproca e, di conseguenza, vengono trascinati più in profondità nel Sistema Solare. In base al suo orientamento, è determinato che la stella o colpirà la Terra o passerà vicino, il che porterebbe a conseguenze ecologiche apocalittiche . Mentre la luminosità sconvolge le notti sulla Terra, molte persone iniziano a preoccuparsi, ma i cinici citano l'anno 1000, in cui anche l'umanità ha anticipato la fine del mondo . L'inverno inglese si addolcisce progressivamente in un disgelo , mentre la stella che si intromette cresce rapidamente nel cielo. La sua alta velocità è evidente durante le ore peggiori dell'evento. Quel giorno, nel cielo sopra l'Inghilterra, la dimensione apparente della stella era equivalente a un terzo della dimensione della Luna . Dopo aver raggiunto i cieli degli Stati Uniti, la dimensione apparente è già aumentata fino a raggiungere le dimensioni della Luna. Presto tutto il ghiaccio sulla superficie terrestre inizia a sciogliersi, causando inondazioni diffuse. La stella inizia quindi a mettere in ombra il Sole, le cui ore sembrano più buie. Anche la crosta planetaria è interessata, con enormi crepe che si formano e rilasciano lava sulla superficie della Terra. Le ondate di marea si sono abbattute, in particolare nell'area del Pacifico , portando alla devastazione in tutto il mondo. La maggior parte della popolazione umana muore e le sue opere sono rese inutilizzabili: città, fattorie, ecc. I pochi sopravvissuti testimoniano l'interposizione della Luna davanti alla stella viaggiante, creando una debole eclissi, poiché viene permanentemente rimossa dalla sua orbita costante intorno alla Terra in una nuova, più distante orbita. La stella riprende quindi il suo percorso e finalmente incontra il sole. La Terra riesce a sopravvivere nonostante la massiccia devastazione provocata sulla sua superficie. Vaste aree della Groenlandia e di altre isole settentrionali si sono sciolte e ora sono verdi e piacevoli per l'abitazione. Gli esseri umani si stabiliscono in nuove aree vicine ai poli , dove il clima è più temperato . Nel frattempo, gli astronomi marziani hanno assistito all'evento, concludendo che non molto è cambiato sul lontano pianeta a parte lo scioglimento del ghiaccio ai poli.

When an army of invading Martians lands in England, panic and terror seize the population. As the aliens traverse the country in huge three-legged machines, incinerating all in their path with a heat ray and spreading noxious toxic gases, the people of the Earth must come to terms with the prospect of the end of human civilization and the beginning of Martian rule. Inspiring films, radio dramas, comic-book adaptations, television series and sequels,The War of the Worlds is a prototypical work of science fiction which has influenced every alien story that has come since, and is unsurpassed in its ability to thrill, well over a century since it was first published.

«Na minha opinião, a precedência dos primeiros romances de Wells — A Ilha do Doutor Moreau, por exemplo, ou O Homem Invisível — deve-se a uma razão mais profunda. Não só é engenhoso o que referem; é também simbólico de processos que de certo modo são inerentes a todos os destinos humanos. O acossado homem invisível, que tem de dormir como que com os olhos abertos porque as suas pálpebras não excluem a luz, é a nossa solidão e o nosso terror; a seita de monstros sentados que fanhosamente recitam na sua noite um credo servil é o Vaticano e é Lassa. A obra que perdura é sempre capaz de uma infinita e plástica ambiguidade.» Jorge Luis Borges, em Outras Inquirições

Graham, an 1890s radical pamphleteer who is eagerly awaiting the twentieth century and all the advances it will bring, is stricken with insomnia. Finally resorting to medication, he instantly falls into a deep sleep that lasts two hundred years. Upon waking in the twenty-second century to a strange and nightmarish place, he slowly discovers he is master of the world, revered by an adoring populace who consider him their leader. Terrified, he escapes from his chamber seeking solace—only to realize that not everyone adores him, some even wish to harm him.

* Illustrated (This title belongs to the STEAMPUNK ADVENTURES series. The STEAMPUNK ADVENTURES comprise an illustrated selection of classic Victorian speculative fiction, with each title being chosen for its quality, modern appeal and resonance with the steampunk movement of retro-futurism.) OUR AIRSHIP ESCAPADES into “a Dystopian Retro-Future which never was” continue in the epic Zeppelin war novel by H. G. Wells, THE WAR IN THE AIR. Young Bert Smallways, a brilliant mechanist and accidental aeronaut, finds himself as a reluctant stowaway upon the very same airship which begins the Great War. This is “dieselpunk” at its finest, featuring petrol-powered war machines, ironclads, bombardments, espionage, intrigue and daring adventures in the wild skies of the earliest 1900s. Smallways is swept away aboard the Vaterland, the flagship piloted by a belligerent German Prince, whose mastery of technology shall herald in a new age of war. How long can Smallways keep his identity a secret from the Prince? Will Bert survive THE WAR IN THE AIR? (Astute readers may notice that this novel served as the inspiration for a certain steampunk trilogy with titles such as LEVIATHAN, BEHEMOTH and GOLIATH.) Enriching and supplementing Wonderland Imprints’ well-received series of classic Illustrated Master Editions, the STEAMPUNK ADVENTURES series is devoted to reviving the very finest forgotten rarities which were originally published during the golden age of technology. The series explores the origins of retro-futurist elements, such as airships, mechanical men, goggled gentlemen of war, sophisticated adventuresses, gadgetry and weaponry, and global cataclysm. These are the tales of the Age of Steam, the lore of the ornate technology which reigned in a golden future that never was. Above all, this series is focused on telling great Victorian stories you’ve probably never heard of! Episode 3, THE WAR IN THE AIR (inspired by the George Griffith works featured in Episodes 1 and 2, THE ANGEL OF THE REVOLUTION and THE SYREN OF THE SKIES), is considered to be one of H. G. Wells’s greatest novels. This Wonderland Imprints edition features over 30 illustrations, an active table of contents, 11 chapters, 98,000 words and 310 pages of mayhem, secret agents and aerial adventure. Come aboard, and sail the crimson skies of war once again!

Three classics from the science fiction master in one volume. From the incomparable H. G. Wells, this volume includes three novels of imagination, wit, and terror. The Island of Doctor Moreau: The classic tale of a man's nightmarish experience trapped on an island where a doctor conducts gruesome experiments.The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth: A science fiction tale with satirical undertones about scientists who create a race of giants, both human and animal, and the world's attempt to cope with them. The First Men in the Moon: A London businessman accompanies a scientist on a journey to the lunar surface--and beneath it, when they are captured by a sophisticated society of insectoid creatures.

With an Introduction and Notes by Dr Andrew Frayn, Lecturer in Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture at Edinburgh Napier University. In these two compelling novels H.G. Wells imagines terrifying futures in which civilisation itself is threatened. The narrator of The War of the Worlds is quick to discover that what appeared to be a falling star was, in fact, a metallic cylinder landing from Mars. Six million people begin to flee London in panic as tentacled invaders emerge and overpower the city. With their heat-ray, killing machines, black gas, and a taste for fresh human blood, is there anything that can be done to stop the Martians? In The War in the Air, naive but resourceful Bert Smallways is thrilled by speed and fascinated by the new flying machines. His curiosity sweeps him away by accident into a German plan to conquer America, beginning with the destruction of New York. The ease of movement in aerial warfare means that nothing and nobody is safe as Total War erupts, civilisation crumbles, and Bert's hopes of getting back to London to marry his love seem impossibly distant.

In A Modern Utopia, two travelers fall into a space-warp and suddenly find themselves upon a Utopian Earth controlled by a single World Government. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Não é só de Sci-Fi que se faz H. G. Wells! O autor de A Guerra dos Mundos também teve uma carreira prolífica em histórias fantásticas, mágicas e de suspense em universos diferentes e peculiares. Talvez seja justamente essa natureza múltipla que tenha tornado Wells uma figura tão interessante de seu tempo, e um autor de ficção científica tão celebrado. Mais do que uma das maiores referências da literatura de sci-fi, Wells também se arriscou pelo território da magia, do fantasmagórico e do horror. Várias de suas primeiras histórias ficaram à sombra de suas obras mais famosas e escondem um universo inteiro para ser explorado pelos leitores. Universos Peculiares reúne os melhores contos de Wells fora do universo de ficção científica e revela um lado menos conhecido, mas igualmente fascinante de sua obra. De uma loja mágica de brinquedos, a uma porta que leva ao passado, percorrendo por fantasmas, viajantes e um traje sobrenatural que guiará um jovem para o mais inesquecível luar de sua vida. Suas melhores ficções e fantasias mostram a versatilidade e a profundidade da imaginação de H.G. Wells, oferecendo ao leitor uma viagem encantadora e surpreendente pelo universo fantástico deste mestre literário.

Universos Peculiares: melhores ficções e fantasias, por H.G. Wells Conheça um outro lado do "pai da ficção científica" e mergulhe nas histórias mais raras e surpreendentes de H.G. Wells Não é só de Sci-Fi que se faz H. G. Wells! O autor de A Guerra dos Mundos também teve uma carreira prolífica em histórias fantásticas, mágicas e de suspense em universos diferentes e peculiares. Talvez seja justamente essa natureza múltipla que tenha tornado Wells uma figura tão interessante de seu tempo, e um autor de ficção científica tão celebrado. Mais do que uma das maiores referências da literatura de sci-fi, Wells também se arriscou pelo território da magia, do fantasmagórico e do horror. Várias de suas primeiras histórias ficaram à sombra de suas obras mais famosas e escondem um universo inteiro para ser explorado pelos leitores. Universos Peculiares reúne os melhores contos de Wells fora do universo de ficção científica e revela um lado menos conhecido, mas igualmente fascinante de sua obra. De uma loja mágica de brinquedos, a uma porta que leva ao passado, percorrendo por fantasmas, viajantes e um traje sobrenatural que guiará um jovem para o mais inesquecível luar de sua vida. Suas melhores ficções e fantasias mostram a versatilidade e a profundidade da imaginação de H.G. Wells, oferecendo ao leitor uma viagem encantadora e surpreendente pelo universo fantástico deste mestre literário. “Nesses contos, o britânico se arrisca pelo território da magia, do fantasmagórico e do horror, fazendo coro a vozes do século XIX como Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe e o próprio Verne.” Cláudia Fusco H.G. Wells (1866-1946) Poucos autores evocam um gênero literário inteiro apenas com a menção de seu nome, como no caso de Herbert George Wells, mais conhecido como H.G. Wells. A ficção científica é um gênero que explora os limites entre a realidade e as possibilidades tecnológicas, e as obras de Wells moldaram o sci-fi de forma irrevogável. H.G. Wells foi um dos primeiros escritores a mergulhar no gênero, além de ter sido um pioneiro das narrativas distópicas. Ao contrário de outros autores, Wells via o progresso acelerado de seu tempo e as inovações tecnológicas de forma mais sombria. A máquina do tempo, O homem invisível e A guerra dos mundos, suas obras-primas, continuam sendo impressas e rendendo adaptações para o cinema e a TV, e suas histórias alcançam gerações de leitores anos depois de publicadas.