Wells embarked on a project to explain the entirety of human history in a single narrative flow. And many topics of quite primary interest to mankind, the first appearance and the. Being a plain history of life and mankind by herbert george wells. I found his storytelling of history to be very enjoyable. Wells was very dissatisfied with the quality of history textbooks at the end of world war i, and so, between 1918 and 1919, produced a 1,324page work which was published in serial. It reads more like a novel than the history texts we are used to. Preface to the mindvessel edition the outline of history.
It had appeared first in serialised form with a different ending as a prophetic trilogy, consisting of three books. Wellss outline of history remains in print with a new 2005 edition, while a short history of the. The book itself is excellent, full of interesting historical analysis and. Get the best deal for the outline of history h g wells from the largest online selection at. After ww i wells published several nonfiction works, among them the outline of history 1920, the science of life 192939, written in collaboration with sir julian huxley and george philip wells, and experiment in autobiography 1934. He also wrote a range of comic social novels which proved highly popular, notably kipps 1905 and the history of mr polly 1910. Undated, probably twenties, possibly a first edition. Unlike another kindle version of this book i bought, this one was proofread before being published, and is therefore a pleasure to read. A short history of the world is a periodpiece nonfictional historic work by english author h. By this time wells had gained the status as a popular celebrity, and he continued to write prolifically.
The book met with popular acclaim and massive sales. Wells outline of history reminds me of an advertisement for the new york times that i saw many years ago, you dont have to read it all, but its nice to know its all here. Wells, was an english writer best known for such science fiction novels as the time machine, the war of the worlds, the invisible man. Later editions were published with updated accounts of world events. It puts all of history into perspective and explains why people and the world are the way they are today. The outlines became sufficiently common for james thurber to parody the trend in his humorous essay, an outline of scientistsindeed, wellss outline of history remains in print with a new 2005 edition, while a short history of the world has been reedited 2006. This is the annotated edition including the rare biographical essay by edwin e. The outline of history by h g wells, first edition abebooks. Being a plain history of life and mankind by hg wells. Time and history have not turned out to be entirely on wells side. Socially progressive and visionary in intellect, he became one of the most prolific writers of his generation. Wells chronicling the history of the world from the origin of the earth to the first world war.
Wells the outline of history, subtitled either the whole story of man or being a plain history of life and mankind, is a work by h. It appeared in an illustrated version of 24 fortnightly installments beginning on 22 november 1919 and was published as a single volume in 1920. Wells ends his book with a few unrealistic proposals like a world religion that everyone would somehow agree with and the end of military organizations. Many of his works made successful sometimes classic early films. Socially progressive and visionary in intellect, he became one of the most prolific. The project gutenberg ebook of the outline of history, by.
The outline of history was published in 1921 partly as a reaction to what wells saw as the failure of the league and to underscore mans history of aggression and repression. The world set free is a novel written in 19 and published in 1914 by h. Hg wells is a prolific author who spans several decades of writing with an impressive range of subjects. After ww i wells published several nonfiction works, among them the outline of history 1920, the science of life 192939, written in collaboration with sir julian huxley and george philip wells, and. Since hg wells is a fiction author, the book is very readable. Publication date 1920 topics iiit collection digitallibraryindia. Depending on demand, any number of printings can be made from a setting of type for example, a first printing might consist of copies, followed by a second printing of 2500 copies. Wells 18661946 published his first novel, the time machine, to critical and popular acclaim in 1895.
Sometimes it is not possible to find the cover corresponding to the book whose edition is published. In 1920, the work was published as two bound volumes entitled the outline of history. Wells his elder son by his second wife, and the work, wealth, and happiness of mankind 1932. Being a plain history of life and mankind, by herbert george wells this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no. Being a plain history of life and mankind by herbert george wells addeddate 20101027 22. The outline of history, subtitled either the whole story of man or being a plain history of life and mankind, is a work by h. The family suffered poverty and wells parents did not lead a happy married life. It describes the major causes of the advancement of civilization, and dissects the reasons for the decline of other civilizations. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Wells first editions, fine bindings, sets and other collectible material.
The text itself is quite suspect in places the discipline of history has advanced exponentially in the last this is an interesting read though not entirely for the. Wellsthe outline of historybeing a plain history of life and mankind1921macmillan5 12 x 8 121170 pageshardcover book with liiustrationssigned by author. Wells is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. This is a beautiful vintage fourvolume set of history books called the outline of history, written by h. Wells and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Being a plain history of life and mankind, volume 2 herbert george wells snippet view 1949.
The project gutenberg ebook of the outline of history, by h. Being a plain history of life and mankind, by herbert george wells this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. The outline of history written by wells is a concise textbook for history fans. One of my favorite passages is wells observation but it is the universal weakness of mankind that what we are given to administer we presently imagine we own. The outline of history volume ii being a plain history of life and mankind by wells, h. Wells that first appeared in an illustrated version of 24 fortnightly installments beginning on 22 november 1919 and was published as a single volume in 1920. The outline of history has been heavily critisized for many, many reasons. The war of the worlds summary, analysis, characters. The prolific science fiction writings of the english writer, herbert george wells, 18661946 firmly establishes him as the father of science fiction.
Yet h g wells was also recognised as a successful novelist and was nominated for the nobel prize for literature four times. Aug 12, 2010 open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. It appeared in an illustrated version of 24 fortnightly installments beginning on 22 november 1919 and was published. Time and history have not turned out to be entirely on wells. The novel details a catastrophic conflict between humans and extraterrestrial martians. Wells, including the time machine, and the war of the worlds, and more on. The nook book ebook of the the outline of history by h.
Wells also injects his own insights and critiques, and is quite philosophic on many topics. The history seems to have struck a chord with the reader of. David lodges top 10 hg wells books books the guardian. Buy the outline of history by h g wells online at alibris. The outline of history, subtitled either the whole story of man or being a plain history of life and mankind, is a book by h.
Wellss bestknown statement of the law appears in his introduction to the scientific romances of h. I grew up reading the science fiction works of hg wells and jules verne in childhood and i was not aware of this book on history that wells wrote in the aftermath of the first world war. Preface to the mindvessel edition at the end of the first world war, famed writer and futurist h. It is a considered a landmark work of science fiction, and it has inspired numerous adaptations and imitations.
No book is provoking a more animated discussion among students of the social sciences at the present time than h. This book is available for free download in a number of formats including epub, pdf, azw. This is the fourth edition, revised and rearranged. Originally published in 1919, this early work by legendary english author h. Preface to the mindvessel edition the outline of history by. Plans for political reform need to acknowledge the limitations of human nature. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Published june 1st 1920 by reprint services corp first published 1919. Dec 06, 20 this is the annotated edition including the rare biographical essay by edwin e. Wells was very dissatisfied with the quality of history textbooks at the end of world war i, and so, between 1918 and 1919, produced a 1,324page work which was published in serial softcover form in 1919, with the first hardcover edition appearing in 1920.
Wells and a great selection of related books, art and. First published in 1922, a short history of the world presents a groundbreaking study of the civilisation from the origins of the earthspanning the neolithic era, the rise of judaism, the golden age of athens. Herbert george wells september 21, 1866 august, 19461, better known as h. It appeared in an illustrated version of 24 fortnightly installments beginning on. The project gutenberg ebook of the outline of history. This is a vivid account of his return to postrevolutionary st petersburg, now called petrograd, a ruined city with a nearstarving population. Please, consider this image only as a reference, it will not always be the exact cover used in the edition of the published book. Short history world by wells, first edition abebooks. The war of the worlds is a science fiction novel by h. Its 667 pages contain a wealth of information on the history of humanity and include chapters on the first civilisations, the languages of mankind, the. The outline of history was one of the first of wells books to be banned in. With broad vision and light and concise style, the author makes a presentation on the biological and human history since the origin of life. First edition published 1920, third edition 1921 and fourth edition 1922. The book is based on a prediction of a more destructive and uncontrollable sort of weapon than the world has yet seen.
They eventually separated but neither of them married again. To help bring about this process of adaptation wells began an ambitious work of popular education, of which the main products were the outline of history 1920. Wells was born in bromley, kent county, england on september 21, 1866 to sarah neil who worked as a maid to the upper class and joseph wells, a professional cricket player and a shopkeeper. First published in 1922, a short history of the world presents a groundbreaking study of the civilisation from the origins of the earthspanning the neolithic era, the rise of judaism, the golden age of athens, christ s life, the great discovery of americato the consequences of world war i. Nevertheless, outline of history is well worth reading.