The World of H. G. Wells

Biographies and commentaries of the celebrated author H. G. Wells abound, but Van Wyck Brooks offers an intriguing addition, with his “The World of H.G. Wells.”*

A highly readable examination, Brooks provides an interesting overview of Well’s life and work. After the millions of words written to date about Wells the man and his timeless stories, critics found it to be something of a triumph to come up with something fresh.

VAN WYCK BROOKS (1886–1963) was an American literary critic, biographer, and historian. Educated at Harvard University, he published his first book: a collection of poetry called Verses by Two Undergraduates. The Ordeal of Mark Twain, published in 1920, analyzes the literary progression of Samuel L. Clemens. The masterpiece of his literary career was a series of studies entitled Makers and Finders, which chronicled the development of American literature during the 19th century. For The Flowering of New England, he won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize in history.

HERBERT GEORGE "H. G." WELLS (1866–1946) was an English writer, best known for his work in science fiction. Often called "The Father of Science Fiction" along with Jules Verne, many of his visions of the future have already become reality, including genetic engineering (Island of Dr. Moreau), laser rays (The War of the Worlds), nuclear weapons/atomic bombs ((The World Set Free), tank warfare (The Land Ironclads), wireless personal communications/cell phones, (The Shape of Things To Come) email and voice mail (Men Like Gods) and the moon landing (First Men on the Moon). Living until 1946, Wells witnessed a world more terrible than any of his imaginative visions, bitterly observing: "Reality has taken a leaf from my book and set itself to supersede me."

*Cited and recommended by Books for College Libraries; the Catalogue of the Lamont Library, and Harvard College.