The Time Machine
The concise foundational scientific romance that established Wells's importance as a speculative novelist.
Author guide
H. G. Wells Books in Order
Herbert George Wells (1866–1946) was an English writer whose career encompassed scientific romances, realist novels, short stories, essays, popular science, history, political commentary, sociology, biography, memoir, travel writing, and film scenarios. His major imaginative works include The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, and The First Men in the Moon. He also produced influential books on world history, education, social organization, human rights, and the future of civilization, sometimes in collaboration with other authors.
science fictionfantasyrealist fictionshort storiesnovelnovellaessayshistorypopular sciencepolitical nonfictionsociologymemoirbiographytravel writingfilm writing
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The War of the Worlds
His most influential alien-invasion novel and a defining example of Victorian scientific romance.
The Invisible Man
A fast, accessible novel combining scientific speculation, horror, and social satire.
Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul
A representative realist comedy showing Wells's range beyond science fiction.
The Outline of History
The best entry point to his major historical and civilizational nonfiction.
Read in order
Books by series
nonfiction-series · complete
Anticipations series
A related sequence of Wells's books on social development, scientific progress, and the making of modern humanity.
- 1 Anticipations of the Reaction of Mechanical and Scientific Progress upon Human Life and Thought
Book 1 · social-science-nonfiction · 1901
- 2
nonfiction-series · complete
Outline of History series
A three-volume sequence addressing human history, the science of life, and the conditions for mankind's future prosperity.
- 1 The Outline of History
Book 1 · world-history · 1920
Ben shu shang su ren lei wen ming de kai duan, xia zhi di er ci shi jie da zhan . jiang gu ai ji, gu xi la, gu luo ma, ying guo, mei guo, fa guo deng chao ji da guo de qi luo xing shuai you tiao bu wen di zhan xian zai dou zhe mian qian.
- 2 The Science of Life
Book 2 · popular-science · 1930
- 3 The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind
Book 3 · social-science-nonfiction · 1931
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (71)
- The Time Machine
novella · 1895
First published in 1895, The Time Machine won author H.G. Wells immediate recognition and has been regarded ever since as one of the great masterpieces in the literature of science fiction. It popularized the concept of time travel and…
- The Wonderful Visit
novel · 1895
What if an angel fell to earth -- and nobody liked him? That's the fascinating premise at the heart of this engrossing fantasy tale from science fiction master H.G. Wells. Penned around the same time Wells captured the world's imagination…
- The Island of Doctor Moreau
novel · 1896
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.…
- The Wheels of Chance
novel · 1896
- The Invisible Man
novel · 1897
This book is the story of Griffin, a scientist who creates a serum to render himself invisible, and his descent into madness that follows.
- The War of the Worlds
novel · 1898
The War of the Worlds is the first-person narrative of an unnamed protagonist in Surrey and that of his younger brother in London as Earth is invaded by Martians. Written between 1895 and 1897, it is one of the earliest stories that…
- When the Sleeper Wakes
novel · 1899
From the author of The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds: “Everyone who has ever read When the Sleeper Wakes remembers it” (George Orwell). One of the founding fathers of science fiction, H. G. Wells is known for such landmark…
- Love and Mr Lewisham
novel · 1900
One of H. G. Wells' first ventures outside of the science fiction realm, the novel Love and Mr. Lewisham was published in the year 1900. Seeking love rather than his youthful hopes of fame and glory, Mr. Lewisham moves to the city of…
- The First Men in the Moon
novel · 1901
H. G. Wells's story of the first men on the moon, and what they find there... Classics Illustrated tells this wonderful tale in colorful comic strip form, providing an excellent introduction for younger readers. Also includes theme…
- The Sea Lady
novel · 1902
- The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth
novel · 1904
Two scientists devise a compound that produces enormous plants, animals — and humans! The chilling results are disastrous.
- A Modern Utopia
utopian-novel · 1905
Imagine a life without worries. You live in a perfect environment untouched by pollution. You have a job to do and play an important role in society. The politicians are watching out for your best interest. And, you get along with your…
- Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul
novel · 1905
- In the Days of the Comet
novel · 1906
H. G. Wells, in his 1906 In the Days of the Comet uses the vapors of a comet to trigger a deep and lasting change in humanity's perspective on themselves and the world. In the build-up to a great war, poor student William Leadford…
- New Worlds for Old
political-nonfiction · 1908
- The War in the Air
novel · 1908
Following the development of massive airships, naive Londoner Bert Smallways becomes accidentally involved in a German plot to invade America by air and reduce New York to rubble. But although bombers devastate the city, they cannot…
- Ann Veronica
novel · 1909
Ann Veronicaby H. G. Well-Ann Veronica is a New Woman novel by H.G. Wells published in 1909. Ann Veronica describes the rebellion of Ann Veronica Stanley, "a young lady of nearly two-and-twenty," against her middle-class father's stern…
- Tono-Bungay
novel · 1909
Tono-Bungay is a new medicine with the power to change one's life forever. Or so its inventors claim. Sardonic and hugely derisory, 'Tono-Bungay' can be read as a biting satire on the follies of English sensibilities.
- The History of Mr Polly
novel · 1910
H. G. Wells' comic 1910 novel, The History of Mr. Polly, stars Alfred Polly, a timid man who is more successful at daydreaming than working in the local draper's shops. He marries a woman he's not really in love with, despite being in…
- The New Machiavelli
novel · 1911
- The Great State
political-nonfiction · 1912
- Marriage
novel · 1912
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the…
- The Passionate Friends
novel · 1913
- The Wife of Sir Isaac Harman
novel · 1914
- Bealby: A Holiday Adventure
novel · 1915
- Boon
novel · 1915
- Mr Britling Sees It Through
novel · 1916
- What Is Coming?
political-nonfiction · 1916
Prophecy may vary between being an intellectual amusement and a serious occupation; serious not only in its intentions, but in its consequences. For it is the lot of prophets who frighten or disappoint to be stoned. But for some of us…
- The Research Magnificent
novel · 1915
- The Soul of a Bishop
novel · 1917
- God the Invisible King
religious-nonfiction · 1917
DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "God, the Invisible King" by H. G. Wells. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for…
- Joan and Peter: The Story of an Education
novel · 1918
- The Idea of a League of Nations
political-nonfiction · 1919
- The Undying Fire
novel · 1919
H G Wells (1866-1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote dozens of novels, short stories, and works of social commentary, history, satire, biography and autobiography, and even two books of recreational war games. He…
- The Way to the League of Nations
political-nonfiction · 1919
- The Salvaging of Civilization
political-nonfiction · 1921
- The Secret Places of the Heart
novel · 1922
- Men Like Gods
novel · 1923
Mr. Barnstaple found himself in urgent need of a holiday, and he had no one to go with and nowhere to go. He was overworked. And he was tired of home. He was a man of strong natural affections; he loved his family extremely so that he…
- The Dream
novel · 1924
A man from the future dreams of a past life in this mind-bending story by the author of The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds. Known for such classic novels as The Time Machine and The Island of Doctor Moreau, H. G. Wells is…
- Christina Alberta's Father
novel · 1925
While Wells is primarily remembered for his science fiction, he also made excursions into history, social science, and commentary. This novel story tells how a retired laundry man suffered from delusions that he was the reincarnation of…
- The World of William Clissold
novel · 1926
- Meanwhile
novel · 1927
- The Open Conspiracy
political-nonfiction · 1928
- Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island
novel · 1928
- The Autocracy of Mr. Parham
novel · 1930
- The Bulpington of Blup
novel · 1932
- After Democracy
political-nonfiction · 1932
- The New Russia
political-nonfiction · 1931
- Marxism vs. Liberalism
political-nonfiction · 1934
- The New America: The New World
political-nonfiction · 1935
- The Croquet Player
novella · 1936
A young man, a country doctor, and the living fear of a brutal force that seems to come from the ground.
- Brynhild
novel · 1937
- Star Begotten
novel · 1937
- The Camford Visitation
novella · 1937
- Apropos of Dolores
novel · 1938
- The Brothers
novella · 1938
- The Fate of Homo Sapiens
social-science-nonfiction · 1939
- The Holy Terror
novel · 1939
- All Aboard for Ararat
novella · 1940
- Babes in the Darkling Wood
novel · 1940
- Guide to the New World
political-nonfiction · 1941
- Modern Russian and English Revolutionaries
political-nonfiction · 1942
- Phoenix: A Summary of the Inescapable Conditions of World Reorganization
political-nonfiction · 1942
- The Conquest of Time
social-science-nonfiction · 1942
- The New World Order
political-nonfiction · 1940
- The Outlook for Homo Sapiens
social-science-nonfiction · 1942
- The Rights of Man
political-nonfiction · 1940
H. G. Wells’s passionate and influential manifesto—never before available in the United States—was first published in England in 1940 in response to World War II. The progressive ideas Wells set out were instrumental in the creation of…
- You Can't Be Too Careful
novel · 1941
- Reshaping Man's Heritage
social-science-nonfiction · 1944
Nonfiction (15)
- The Future in America: A Search After Realities
travel-and-social-commentary · 1906
- First and Last Things
philosophy · 1908
First and Last Things is a 1908 work of philosophy by H. G. Wells setting forth his beliefs in four "books" entitled "Metaphysics," "Of Belief," "Of General Conduct," and "Some Personal Things."
- Floor Games
guide · 1911
Suggests some of the games that can be created using toy soldiers and other figurines, blocks, boards and planks, and toy trains arranged in various ways on an appropriate floor. New postscript offers biographical sketches of Wells,…
- Little Wars
guide · 1913
LITTLE WARS is the game of kings - for players in an inferior social position. It can be played by boys of every age from twelve to one hundred and fifty - and even later if the limbs remain sufficiently supple - by girls of the better…
- Frank Swinnerton
biography · 1920
- The New Teaching of History
history-education · 1921
- A Short History of the World
world-history · 1922
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…
- A Short History of Mankind
world-history · 1925
- The Shape of Things to Come
future-history · 1933
"When Dr Philip Raven, an intellectual working for the League of Nations, dies in 1930 he leaves behind a powerful legacy an unpublished dream book'. Inspired by visions he has experienced for many years, it appears to be a book written…
- Experiment in Autobiography
memoir · 1934
En un momento de desgaste personal y abierto escepticismo, H.G. Wells, uno de los escritores más importantes de la literatura occidental, realizó el relato de su vida hasta 1934, fecha de publicación de este Experimento en autobiografía.…
- Travels of a Republican Radical in Search of Hot Water
travel-memoir · 1939
- The Pocket History of the World
world-history · 1941
- '42 to '44: A Contemporary Memoir
memoir · 1944
Short fiction (11)
- The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents
short-story-collection · 1895
The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents was H. G. Wells' first collection of short stories, published in 1895. These fantasy and science fiction tales were all written between 1893 and 1895 and published in various periodicals.
- The Plattner Story and Others
short-story-collection · 1897
- Thirty Strange Stories
short-story-collection · 1897
- Tales of Space and Time
short-story-collection · 1899
Tales of Space and Time collects together two novellas and three short stories by the great science fiction writer H. G. Wells. First published in 1899, this absorbing and stimulating read contains:The Crystal Egg (short story)The Star…
- Twelve Stories and a Dream
short-story-collection · 1903
In truth the mastery of flying was the work of thousands of men - this man a suggestion and that an experiment, until at last only one vigorous intellectual effort was needed to finish the work. But the inexorable injustice of the popular…
- The Country of the Blind and Other Stories
short-story-collection · 1911
Presents a collection of short science fiction stories written by H.G. Wells, including "The Country of the Blind," "The Star," and "The New Accelerator."
- The Door in the Wall and Other Stories
short-story-collection · 1911
The title story tells of a promising public figure used up by his job and obsessed by a vision of an enchanted garden he had known as a child. It is a tale all of us know, the attempt to recover a period when our lives were simpler and…
- Tales of the Unexpected
short-story-collection · 1922
- Tales of Life and Adventure
short-story-collection · 1923
- Tales of Wonder
short-story-collection · 1923
- Film Stories
film-story-collection · 1940
Essays and speeches (21)
- Select Conversations with an Uncle (Now Extinct) and Two Other Reminiscences
essay-collection · 1895
- Certain Personal Matters
essay-collection · 1897
- The Discovery of the Future
essay · 1902
- This Misery of Boots
political-pamphlet · 1907
- Great Thoughts From H. G. Wells
essay-collection · 1912
- Thoughts From H. G. Wells
essay-collection · 1912
- An Englishman Looks at the World
essay-collection · 1914
Book Excerptn we went on from those anticipations of swaying insecurity to speculations about the psychological and physiological effects of flying. Most people who look down from the top of a cliff or high tower feel some slight qualms…
- The War That Will End War
essay-collection · 1914
H.G. Wells was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Wells was a prolific author in many genres including history, politics, and social commentary.
- The Elements of Reconstruction
political-pamphlet · 1916
- Introduction to Nocturne
essay · 1917
- In the Fourth Year
political-essay-collection · 1918
- Washington and the Hope of Peace
political-essay · 1922
- A Year of Prophesying
essay-collection · 1925
- The Way the World Is Going
essay-collection · 1928
- Points of View
essay-collection · 1930
- World Brain
essay-collection · 1938
In 1937, H. G. Wells proposed a predigital, freely available World Encyclopedia to represent a civilization-saving World Brain. In a series of talks and essays in 1937, H. G. Wells proselytized for what he called a "World Brain," as…
- Mind at the End of Its Tether
essay · 1945
- The Common Sense of War and Peace
political-essay-collection · 1940
- The Happy Turning
essay · 1945
Other (11)
- Text-Book of Biology
textbook · 1893
- Honours Physiography
textbook · 1893
- War and the Future
war-reportage · 1917
Book Excerpt: ...m in a torrent. The great man of this war is the common man. It becomes ridiculous to pick out particular names. There are too many true stories of splendid acts in the past two years ever to be properly set down. The…
- Russia in the Shadows
political-reportage · 1920
- Mr. Belloc Objects to The Outline of History
polemic · 1926
- The King Who Was a King: The Book of a Film
film-story · 1929
"The King Who Was a King - The Book of a Film" is a fascinating treatise on the development of film written by H. G. Wells and first published in 1929. Writing at the when cinema was beginning to explode, Wells explores the emerging…
- Divorce as I See It
social-commentary · 1930
- What Should Be Done—Now: A Memorandum on the World Situation
political-memorandum · 1932
- Things to Come
film-story · 1935
"Things to Come is the 1936 release of London Films, produced from the 1935 "film story" by H.G. Wells, the text of the present work. It reflects on a long literary career often given to the fate of man and the prospect of a unified world…
- The Man Who Could Work Miracles
film-story · 1936
"Man Who Could Work Miracles (without a The) is a film, ostensibly a comedy, that H.G. Wells (1866-1946) scripted late in life for London Film Productions. The present volume is a literary text of the scenario and dialogue published in…
- Crux Ansata: An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church
polemic · 1943
"CRUX ANSATA--An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church", by H. G. Wells (96 pgs.) is a fervent attack on the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Pius XII written by H. G. Wells at the height of the Second World War. Within it, Wells uses his…
Frequently asked questions about H. G. Wells
Who was H. G. Wells?
H. G. Wells was the commonly used name of Herbert George Wells (1866–1946), an English novelist, social commentator, and pioneering science-fiction author.
Sources: npg.org.uk (opens in a new tab)oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com (opens in a new tab)
What did H. G. Wells study before becoming a writer?
He studied biology at the Normal School of Science, later the Royal College of Science, where he was taught by biologist Thomas Henry Huxley. He also worked as a teacher, and his first publication was a biology textbook.
Sources: imperial.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)london.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)
What influenced H. G. Wells’s writing?
His scientific education, interest in evolution, and concern with social and political change shaped both his speculative fiction and his nonfiction.
Sources: imperial.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)london.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)
Which works made H. G. Wells famous?
He became especially famous for early science-fiction novels such as The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds.
Sources: oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com (opens in a new tab)npg.org.uk (opens in a new tab)
Why is H. G. Wells still important today?
Wells helped establish science fiction as a major literary form and used imagined futures to examine technology, war, social organization, and humanity’s prospects. His work continues to influence literature and popular culture.
Sources: npg.org.uk (opens in a new tab)london.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)