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A Short History of the World

Author H. G. Wells
Paperback
$18.00 US
Penguin Adult HC/TR | Penguin Classics
On sale Jul 31, 2007 | 400 Pages | 978-0-14-144182-5
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  • Humanities & Social Sciences > English > Literature > British Literature – 20th Century
  • Humanities & Social Sciences > History > Period History: England, Ireland, and U.K. > 20th Century
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  • About
  • Author
Of the more than one hundred books that H. G. Wells published in his lifetime, this is one of the most ambitious. Spanning the origins of the Earth to the outcome of World War I, A Short History of the World is an engrossing account of the evolution of life and the development of the human race. Wells brings his monumental learning and penetrating historical insight to bear on the Neolithic era, the rise of Judaism, the Golden Age of Athens, the life of Christ, the rise of Islam, the discovery of America, the Industrial Revolution, and a host of other subjects. Breathtaking in scope, this thought-provoking masterwork remains one of the most readable and rewarding of its kind.

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.
H.G. Wells was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1866. After an education repeatedly interrupted by his family’s financial problems, he eventually found work as a teacher at a succession of schools, where he began to write his first stories.
Wells became a prolific writer with a diverse output, of which the famous works are his science fiction novels. These are some of the earliest and most influential examples of the genre, and include classics such as The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. Most of his books very well-received, and had a huge influence on many younger writers, including George Orwell and Isaac Asimov. Wells also wrote many popular non-fiction books, and used his writing to support the wide range of political and social causes in which he had an interest, although these became increasingly eccentric towards the end of his life.
Twice-married, Wells had many affairs, including a ten-year liaison with Rebecca West that produced a son. He died in London in 1946. View titles by H. G. Wells
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About

Of the more than one hundred books that H. G. Wells published in his lifetime, this is one of the most ambitious. Spanning the origins of the Earth to the outcome of World War I, A Short History of the World is an engrossing account of the evolution of life and the development of the human race. Wells brings his monumental learning and penetrating historical insight to bear on the Neolithic era, the rise of Judaism, the Golden Age of Athens, the life of Christ, the rise of Islam, the discovery of America, the Industrial Revolution, and a host of other subjects. Breathtaking in scope, this thought-provoking masterwork remains one of the most readable and rewarding of its kind.

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.

Author

H.G. Wells was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1866. After an education repeatedly interrupted by his family’s financial problems, he eventually found work as a teacher at a succession of schools, where he began to write his first stories.
Wells became a prolific writer with a diverse output, of which the famous works are his science fiction novels. These are some of the earliest and most influential examples of the genre, and include classics such as The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. Most of his books very well-received, and had a huge influence on many younger writers, including George Orwell and Isaac Asimov. Wells also wrote many popular non-fiction books, and used his writing to support the wide range of political and social causes in which he had an interest, although these became increasingly eccentric towards the end of his life.
Twice-married, Wells had many affairs, including a ten-year liaison with Rebecca West that produced a son. He died in London in 1946. View titles by H. G. Wells

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  • The Time Machine / The Invisible Man
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  • The Sleeper Awakes
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    978-0-14-144106-1
    $17.00 US
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    Penguin Classics
    Apr 25, 2006
  • The History of Mr Polly
    The History of Mr Polly
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    978-0-14-144107-8
    $14.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Dec 27, 2005
  • The Invisible Man
    The Invisible Man
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    978-0-14-143998-3
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Sep 27, 2005
  • The Island of Dr Moreau
    The Island of Dr Moreau
    H. G. Wells
    978-0-14-144102-3
    $12.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    Jun 28, 2005
  • The Time Machine
    The Time Machine
    H. G. Wells
    978-0-14-143997-6
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    May 31, 2005
  • The War of the Worlds
    The War of the Worlds
    H. G. Wells
    978-0-14-144103-0
    $11.00 US
    Paperback
    Penguin Classics
    May 04, 2005
  • Selected Stories of H. G. Wells
    Selected Stories of H. G. Wells
    H. G. Wells
    978-0-8129-7075-3
    $18.00 US
    Paperback
    Modern Library
    Jul 13, 2004
  • The First Men in the Moon
    The First Men in the Moon
    H. G. Wells
    978-0-8129-6831-6
    $12.00 US
    Paperback
    Modern Library
    Jun 10, 2003
  • The Time Machine
    The Time Machine
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    H. G. Wells, W.A. Dwiggins
    978-0-375-76118-8
    $10.00 US
    Paperback
    Modern Library
    Nov 12, 2002
  • The Invisible Man
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    H. G. Wells
    978-0-8129-6645-9
    $8.00 US
    Paperback
    Modern Library
    Nov 12, 2002
  • The Time Machine
    The Time Machine
    H. G. Wells
    978-1-101-09931-5
    Ebook
    Signet
    Oct 01, 2002
  • The Island of Dr. Moreau
    The Island of Dr. Moreau
    H. G. Wells
    978-0-375-76096-9
    $8.95 US
    Paperback
    Modern Library
    May 14, 2002
  • The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds
    The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds
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    H. G. Wells
    978-0-449-30043-5
    $8.99 US
    Mass Market Paperback
    Del Rey
    Apr 12, 1986
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