Short Story Collections
Ranging from a plot to wipe out London through biological terrorism, to an unknown creature preying on scientists at a remote astronomical observatory, this collection of short stories by H.G. Wells displays the imagination and plot twists that are characteristic of his later works.
From "The Crystal Egg" There was, until a year ago, a little and very grimy-looking shop near Seven Dials over which, in weather-worn yellow lettering, the name of "C. Cave, Naturalist and Dealer in Antiquities," was inscribed. The contents of its window were curiously variegated. They comprised some elephant tusks and an imperfect set of chessmen, beads and weapons, a box of eyes, two skulls of tigers and one human, several moth-eaten stuffed monkeys (one holding a lamp), an old-fashioned cabinet, a flyblown ostrich egg or so, some fishing-tackle, and an extraordinarily dirty, empty glass fish tank. There was also, at the moment the story begins, a mass of crystal, worked into the shape of an egg and brilliantly polished. The clergyman, without any ceremony, asked the price of the crystal egg. "Five pounds is my price," said Mr. Cave, with a quiver in his voice.
Social, domestic, and scientific themes are treated in the English writer's short stories of fantasy and horror
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A collection of three short stories and two novellas written between 1897 and 1898. All the stories had first been published in various monthly periodicals and this was the first volume to collect these stories. contains "The Crystal Egg" "The Star" "A Story of the Stone Age" "A Story of the Days To Come" "The Man Who Could Work Miracles"
"There remains a confidential letter from Major-General Volleyfire to the Earl of Frogs. “The man’s a crank and a bounder to boot,” says the Major-General in his bluff, sensible, army way…"
The early short stories of an essential 20th century literary personage Herbert George Wells was perhaps best known as the author of such classic works of science fiction as The Time Machine and War of the Worlds . But it was in his short stories, written when he was a young man embarking on a literary career, that he first explored the enormous potential of the scientific discoveries of the day. He described his stories as "a miscellany of inventions," yet his enthusiasm for science was tempered by an awareness of its horrifying destructive powers and the threat it could pose to the human race. A consummate storyteller, he made fantastic creatures and machines entirely believable; and, by placing ordinary men and women in extraordinary situations, he explored, with humor, what it means to be alive in a century of rapid scientific progress. 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.
In the AbyssPollock and the Porroh ManThe Triumphs of a TaxidermistIn the AVU ObservatoryThe Flowering of the Strange OrchidAEpyornis IslandThe Sea RaidersThe Red RoomThe Purple PileusThe StarA Vision of JudgementThe Valley of SpidersThe Truth About PyecraftThe Magic ShopThe Empire Of The AntsThe Country of the BlindThe Beautiful Suit
Ursula K. Le Guin’s selection of twenty-six stories showcases H. G. Wells’s genius and reintroduces readers to his singular talent for making the unbelievable seem utterly plausible. He envisioned a sky filled with airplanes before Orville Wright ever left the ground. He described the spectacle of space travel decades before men set foot on the moon. H. G. Wells was a visionary, a man of science with an enduring literary touch, and his originality and inventiveness are fully on display in this essential collection. “Wells imagined both dark and bright futures because his creed allowed both while promising neither, and because the eighty years of his life were years of immense intellectual and technological accomplishment and appalling violence and destruction.” —Ursula K. Le Guin, from the introduction “Everything one imagines in the way of genius and fun.”—Rebecca West Including these stories: “A Slip Under the Microscope” “The Remarkable Case of Davidson’s Eyes” “The Plattner Story” “Under the Knife” “The Crystal Egg” “The New Accelerator” “The Stolen Body” “The Argonauts of the Air” “In the Abyss” “The Star” “The Land Ironclads” “A Dream of Armageddon” “The Lord of the Dynamos” “The Valley of Spiders” “The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham” “The Man Who Could Work Miracles” “The Magic Shop” “Mr. Skelmersdale in Fairyland” “The Door in the Wall” “The Presence by the Fire” “A Vision of Judgment” “The Story of the Last Trump” “The Wild Asses of the Devil” “Answer to Prayer” “The Queer Story of Brownlow’s Newspaper” “The Country of the Blind”
Herbert George Wells was perhaps best known as the author of such classic works of science fiction as The Time Machine and War of the Worlds. But it was in his short stories, written when he was a young man embarking on a literary career, that he first explored the enormous potential of the scientific discoveries of the day. He described his stories as "a miscellany of inventions," yet his enthusiasm for science was tempered by an awareness of its horrifying destructive powers and the threat it could pose to the human race. A consummate storyteller, he made fantastic creatures and machines entirely believable, and by placing ordinary men and women in extraordinary situations, he explored, with humor, what it means to be alive in a century of rapid scientific progress. At the dawn of a new millennium, Wells' singular vision is more compelling than ever.
Includes the first serialized version of The Time Machine, short stories from Wells' student days at South Kensington, and essays from the 1890's that speculate on the future
‘His impression of them was of a crowd of large black ants, very like ordinary ants except for their size...” Venturing into the upper Amazon, a Brazilian ship’s-captain discovers a colony of giant ants... a colony which might lead to the end of man‘s dominance over the Earth... Contains ten classic short stories. The Empire of the Ants The Star A Dream of Armageddon The Obliterated Man A Slip Under the Microscope The Valley of Spiders The Story of the Inexperienced Ghost The Stolen Body The Story of the Late Mr Elvesham A Vision of Judgement A new printing containing several of of H.G. Wells’ most thought-provoking stories.
Tells the stories of a bicycle ride, an elixir of success, a newspaper from the future, a dying artist, and a surprising treasure
"The Red Room" and several other stories.
Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) was an English writer best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine (1888), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The War of the Worlds (1897), The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance (1897) and The First Men in the Moon (1900-01). He was a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and produced works in many different genres, including contemporary novels, history, and social commentary. He was also an outspoken socialist. His later works become increasingly political and didactic, and only his early science fiction novels are widely read today. Wells is sometimes referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction". Among his most famous works are: Ann Veronica: A Modern Love Story (1909), The History of Mr. Polly (1910), The Country of the Blind and Other Stories (1911), An Englishman Looks at the World (1914), God the Invisible King (1917) and In the Fourth Year: Anticipations of a World Peace (1918).
Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 - 13 August 1946), better known as H. G. Wells, was an English writer most famous today for the science fiction novels he published between 1895 and 1901: The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, When the Sleeper Wakes, and The First Men in the Moon. He was a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and produced works in many genres, including contemporary novels, history, and social commentary. Only his early science fiction novels are widely read today. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction".
H. G. Wells is well-known for his science fiction stories, from War of the Worlds to The Invisible Man, but he also wrote supernatural tales and strange fantasies. The stories run from the horrific to the humorous, including ghosts, curses, miracles, fairies, and other magical ingredients. Some are satirical, and some are infused with his particular (often unorthodox) beliefs. Several are of the "rational explanations" variety, while others indulge in a suspension of disbelief. Together, they make a fascinating companion to his better-known tales of scientific marvels.
Written at a time when much of the world remained hidden and mysterious – when remote islands, unexplored jungles, and the depths of the ocean still held new and unenvisioned possibilities – these tales combine the everyday with the otherworldly in a way that is rarely found in more recent imaginative fiction.
THE ARGONAUTS OF THE AIR For several years, Monson has used his wealth on a project to build a flying machine. The apparatus for launching it, "a massive alley of interlacing iron and timber", has become a notable landmark for people passing through Worcester Park in south-west London, and sometimes they see a machine rush along the rails of the apparatus, as the latest version of the flying machine is tested. Monson's money is running out, and he is impatient with the time taken to put the latest modifications into effect. 1. THE OBLITERATED MAN 2. THE CONE 3. THE ARGONAUTS OF THE AIR 4. THE BULLA 5. A SLIP UNDER THE MICROSCOPE 6. UNDER THE KNIFE 7. THE RED ROOM 8. THE PLATTNER STORY 9. THE STORY OF THE LATE MR. ELVESHAM 10. THE RAJAH'S TREASURE 11. IN THE ABYSS 12. THE LOST INHERITANCE 13. THE APPLE 14. THE PURPLE PILEUS 15. THE SEA RAIDERS 16. THE CRYSTAL EGG