Product Description
Pupils will meet the literature requirements of the National Curriculum by studying these collections of short stories by pre-twentieth century authors. Readers of all abilities will gain increased comprehension of the stories from the integrated support material on every page. Pupils' interest is maintained by the large format and simple layout. A more complete picture of the authors is provided through completion of a number of 'compare and contrast' exercises, reinforcement activities and overview sections at the end of each story. The National Curriculum requirement to read stories from other cultures and traditions is also covered by books in the series. ... Read more

Product Description
The War of the Worlds: A Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic features:

*The complete tale of the classic novel, The War of the Worlds

*Featuring 600 vocabulary words frequently tested on the SAT highlighted throughout the text

*Definitions for each highlighted word on the facing page

*A pronunciation guide

*An index for easy reference ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Read A Classic, and Prep for the SAT!
This is one of the best ways of learning SAT vocab, or simply vocab for your own personal gain. Read the classic work on the right, SAT words are in bold and defined on the left. The real kicker is that words are repeated throughout the book. After seeing words over and over you learn them extremely well. Great Concept, Great Study Aid, Great Book!

These Books are better than other SAT Score raising books. Most of these books are written for the sole purpose of raising your score. Their stories tend to be boring, the writing style is usually adequate. Instead Kaplan, defines SAT words inside great literary works. They are perfect for any student. You can now read a classic book, and Study for the SAT at the same time!
... Read more

Product Description
Famous for the mistaken panic that ensued from Orson Welles's 1938 radio dramatization, The War of the Worlds remains one of the most influential of all science fiction works. The night after a shooting star is seen streaking through the sky from Mars, a cylinder is discovered on Horsell Common in London. Naïve locals approach the cylinder armed just with a white flag-only to be quickly killed by an all-destroying heat ray, as terrifying tentacled invaders emerge. Soon the whole of human civilization is under threat as powerful Martians build gigantic killing machines, destroying all life in their path with black gas and burning ray. The forces of Earth, however, may prove harder to beat than they appear.

-Includes a newly established text, a full biographical essay on Wells, a list of further reading, and detailed notes
-Brian Aldiss's introduction considers the novel's view of religion and society ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Book That Began Sci-Fi
This is a book way ahead of its time. It chronicles the invasion of Earth by the inhabitants of neighbouring Mars, from the point of view of the anonymous protagonist. Some of the ideas may seem somewhat inane upon reading the book presently, but bear in mind that it was written over a hundred years ago, where the concept of interaction with extra-terrestrial beings was thoroughly infantile.
The book is seemingly written as a documentary with the hard-hitting authenticity of a late-night news bulletin as opposed to a fantastical yarn spattered with conspicuously impracticable fairytale imagery. This therefore creates a tangible sense of realism that causes the reader to wonder how they might have fared were they thrust into the same situation.
Wells manages to keep the suspense mounting throughout, exploring the reaction of tense and fearful pre-WW1 humanity to the physical embodiment and culmination of their apprehensions, and the novel concludes in a way rather pleasingly unexpected, and that could almost serve to be the twisted moral of this paranoid parable.
If you are looking for a book in which you can examine character developments and interactions, then The War Of The Worlds is at best inappropriate. However, it is a valuable contrivance insofar as instigating speculation as to mankind's position in the universe, and indeed the position of those civilizations and cultures traditionally or habitually thought of as subservient to one's own.
The casual reader might have some difficulty with Wells' linguistic manner, and indeed may have only come across some of the vocabulary used through listening to MatronsApron, yet Wells still manages to explain events thoroughly and concisely.
To conclude, then, The War Of The Worlds is a literary landmark that unquestionably invented the entire science fiction genre, and should appeal to fans of action, fans of adventure, fans of science fiction, and conspiracy theorists alike. With this book, H.G. Wells has proven to be a social commentator, sublime documentarian, sci-fi pioneer, and a splendid storyteller. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best WotW version
With apologies to Orson Wells, George Pal and Steven Speilberg, the Classics Illustrated version of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" was, is, and ever will be the best visual version of this classic book.The artwork by Lou Cameron is simply superb and Harry Miller's written adaptation faithfully captures the book without sacraficing any of the action.Although some may consider the appearnce of the tripods to be a bit dated by today's standards (they resemble Cold War era tank turrets mounted on water tower legs with vacuum cleaner hoses for "arms") they still retain a menacing appearance within the context of the story.The story itself thankfully remains grounded in the late 19th century when Wells wrote it.A pity that Speilberg decided to ruin the story by making it about a dysfunctional 21st century family.The image on the cover of the tripods attacking a World War I era artillery crew is not just classic; it's poetic. ... Read more

Product Description
Collection of the five most known novels of H.G. Wells. This edition includes an active table of contents to make finding each novel easy.

Books included in this collection:
The First Men in the Moon
The Invisible Man
The Island of Doctor Moreau
The Time Machine
The War of the Worlds ... Read more

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One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools, this is Wells's classic science-fiction tale in which Martians descend on the Home Counties. ... Read more

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The World Set Free, written by legendary author H.G. Wells is widely considered to be one of the greatest books of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, The World Set Free is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by H.G. Wells is highly recommended. Published by Classic Books International and beautifully produced, The World Set Free would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library. ... Read more

Product Description
Graham, an 1890s radical pamphleteer who is eagerly awaiting the twentieth century and all the advances it will bring, is stricken with insomnia. Finally resorting to medication, he instantly falls into a deep sleep that lasts two hundred years. Upon waking in the twenty-second century to a strange and nightmarish place, he slowly discovers he is master of the world, revered by an adoring populace who consider him their leader. Terrified, he escapes from his chamber seeking solace—only to realize that not everyone adores him, some even wish to harm him.


From the Trade Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

H.G. Wells Looks to Today
When the Sleeper Wakes is one of the earlier works by H.G. Wells. Perhaps not as exciting as War of the Worlds or The Time Machine, it nonetheless imagines a future when big business runs the world and the two-party system is gone. Sort of like BP?

Written in the late 1890s, the Wells book refers to aeropiles and aeroplanes. Sci fi lovers and H.G. Wells fans will discover much to consider.

Wells' Idealism in a Surprising Tale
Until I visited the Modern Library website, I had never heard of this novel, but it was so intriguing I immediately ordered this edition from Amazon.With a plot that's like Rip Van Winkle on steroids, Wells' socialistic optimism is given a good working over.The future into which the sleeper awakes is on the brink of a revolution, the success of which could herald humanity's utopian dream.But a grim political reality soon sets in, one driven by a Machiavellian power ploy.The cynical argument Wells gives the antagonist Ostrog for the inevitability of the bleak social strata was presented as justifiable, and hard to argue with.Graham (the awakened sleeper) becomes dismayed, but he clings to his optimism for a sense of purpose.

I approached this novel with enthusiasm, as the plot summary seemed like something familiar but having a darker tone.But at times I found myself wishing the story would move along a wee-bit quicker, as I sensed that events had a sinister twist that was about to be revealed.By the end, I was wondering if the sleeper wasn't a metaphor for the writer himself, who probably in his last days saw some very discouraging events that dashed his hopes for a just social outcome.

It was an intelligent book, bursting with ideas.I highly recommend it.
_______________________________________________________________________

Free SF Reader
A nineteenth century nonconformist and activisit pulls a Rip Van
Winkle, and wakes up a couple of centuries later. He discovers that he
is now what he was actually agitating against, and is rather shocked.
Wells was predicting the rise of the megacorporation, among other
things, like the use of aeroplanes for travel. Most definitely a
criticism of the large corporation way of life.

Prescient
Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) is remembered as one of the very pioneers of the genre of science-fiction. He is also remembered for his Leftist politics, including a stint with the Fabian Society and his embracing of "Free Love." This book was written in 1899, and is one of the last science-fiction books he wrote before his turn towards social realism in his writing.

In this dystopian novel, Graham falls into a coma-like sleep, a sleep that he wakes from some 203 years in the future. But times have changed. Due to the wise investments of a board of trustees, Graham's money has compounded into the greatest fortune the world has ever seen, and the trustees have used it to virtually enslave the entire planet. The common people know that those who use "The Master's" money are misusing it, and they pine for a time when the sleeper will wake and set things right. But now that Graham is awake, he finds himself a pawn in a world he little understands.

Overall, I found this to be an interesting book. H.G. Wells made a lot of predictions in the book that have sense come to pass, including airplanes, the rise of trans-national corporations that are not under the control of their nation of origin, the rise of a decadent class of useless, pretty, party-people (Hollywood), and so much more. The one fly in the ointment, however, was Wells' use of race. The leaders use an army of "Negroes" to control the population, "They are fine loyal brutes, with no wash of ideas in their heads..."

But, that said, I did find this to be a fascinating, forward looking book. Mr. Wells is rightly remembered for his near prescience in matters of science, and this book shows how much he knew about the future of economics as well. I highly recommend this book.

a true classic
finished this just the other night and what a finish. i'm not going to spoil it because if you havn't read it you should - if you like your sci-fi with a liberal portion of politics and social commentary (which i guess i do).

from the very beginning, the beauty of the writing is that it shares the sense of dislocation and naivete of the protagonist most eloquently. a man waking in a future world where what he sees around him is totally unfamiliar, yet what lies underneath is an expression of barbarism that a post-enlightment intellectual would surely find abhorrent.

the technology wells envisions is perhaps the most telling sign of his intensly perceptive style. the only inline editorial note is towards the end, where an insert advises that wells is writing of aeroplanes 11 years before the first took to the sky and of aerial fighting 18 years before the first dogfight (although once you've made it to flying, it's not that very large a mental gap at all to flying and fighting together...). alongwith telephones, televisions and the classic moving pathway or travelator (found also in asimov, the fantastic planet and others), the other main visual vocabulary is in the architecture. It's all about the scale and in this you could maybe argue (if you were stoned and theoretically ambitious...) that future comrades-in-architecture took some inspiration. which is to say that it reminds me of beijing and berlin, the only two cities i've visted that either were or are communist.

but it's the social commentary i enjoy the most. a rather dark piece of commentary it is too, marking it alongside brave new world, 1984 et. al. the most unsettling part about reading this was to ponder in 2005 the questions wells was asking in 1899. are the extrapolations he was making, perhaps influenced by contempory thinking such as conspicous consumption and antecedents such as rosseau, bearing themselves out today? The stark seperations Veblen was identifying in the seperation of classes by the work they perform (essentially split into industrial and non-industrial) are a central theme in The Sleeper (first published in 1899, the same year as Veblen's The Leisure Class). ... Read more

Product Description
Orphaned at an early age, raised by his aunt and uncle, and apprenticed for seven years to a draper, Artie Kipps is stunned to discover upon reading a newspaper advertisement that he is the grandson of a wealthy gentleman ? and the inheritor of his fortune. Thrown dramatically into the upper classes, he struggles desperately to learn the etiquette and rules of polite society. But as he soon discovers, becoming a ?true gentleman? is neither as easy nor as desirable as it at first appears. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Brilliantly witty, highly entertaining novel.
Kipps was my first excursion into the (very large) world of non-science fiction Wells. Before I received this novel for Christmas, I had never even known that Wells wrote books other than sci-fi. I was already impressed with the well-known books of Wells, such as the Time Machine, War of the Worlds, etc., and was excited to read something of his other works.

Kipps is the story of a lower-class young man who finds out that he has been left a great deal of wealth. With this acquisition, he begins the struggle to learn how to live in the upper-class. Many humorous events take place, as he tries his best to avoid society, and when forced to face it, stumbles and embarrasses himself considerably. Through it all, though,we see a struggling and not-too-smart man doing his best to live a fulfilling life - and learning what it really means to be satisfied.

Wells writing style here is brilliant, filled with a distinctively British humor that I learned to love watching old episodes of Jeeves and Wooster. The characters, their dialog, and the narrator all add to the excellently portrayed humor.

Humor is not the only aspect which makes this novel so great. The very believable plot, with its startling twists and turns, is captivating. At times I nearly wanted to turn ahead in the book to find out what was to happen next. Wells has a tormenting way of hinting about what will happen next, without revealing anything, so that the suspense is heightened even more. I never found the book boring or dry, but always very interesting.

Near the end of the book I encountered a very different passage which deviated from the humor and made a very serious and relevant point. The book's introduction seems to say that this passage nearly ruins the book, but in my opinion it only strengthens the book and deepens its meaning.

If you have yet to experience this side of Wells, I highly encourage you to do so. Not only will you experience the great wit of his, but also his wonderfully British writing style and his interesting points about society which still apply today.

5 stars, through and through. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
Little Wars; a game for boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books. is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of H. G. (Herbert George) Wells then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Little Wars: a charming classic
This is a charming introduction to the "Little Wars" miniature wargame invented by H.G. Wells.A must for anyone who plays wargames.

On a psychological level, it is interesting that Wells champions "Little Wars" as a replacement for the real thing. It appears never to have occurred to him that playing miniature wargames may have something to do with perpetuating and validating the use of force to resolve conflicts.

A few minuses:

the text contains references to the illustrations in the original book. They are not in the Kindle edition, which is an unfortunate gap, as they are no doubt enjoyable.

there is no active TOC.

only the first two chapters and the last chapter are of general interest; the remainder is made up of the rules for Little Wars, which have been superseded by far more elaborate rules for modern wargamers. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes 39 classics by H. G. Wells. Indexed for easy navigation. Works of H. G. Wells Includes: Ann Veronica, A Modern Love Story
Anticipations
Certain Personal Matters
The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories
The Door in the Wall and Other Stories
An Englishman Looks at the World
First and Last Things
The First Men in the Moon
Floor Games
The Food of the Gods
God the Invisible King
The History of Mr. Polly
In the Days of the Comet
In the Fourth Year
The Invisible Man
The Island of Doctor Moreau
Little Wars
Love and Mr. Lewisham
Mankind in the Making
A Modern Utopia
Mr. Britling Sees It Through
The New Machiavelli
The Red Room
The Research Magnificent
Secret Places of the Heart
The Sleeper Awakes: Revised
Soul of a Bishop
The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents
Text Book of Biology, Part 1: Vertebrata
The Time Machine
Tono Bungay
Twelve Stories and a Dream
War and the Future
The War in the Air
The War of the Worlds
What is Coming?
The Wheels of Chance: a Bicycling Idyll
When the Sleeper Wakes
The World Set Free ... Read more

Product Description
H.G. Wells's spellbinding account of an invasion from outer space is the first and still the best of all such stories. Ten massive, super-intelligent aliens from Mars touch down in Victorian England and threaten to reduce the civilized world to cinder in short order, as humanity's vaunted knowledge proves to be of little use in such an emergency. First published in 1898, famously dramatized by Orson Welles in an extraordinary 1938 radio presentation that had listeners fearing for their lives, and the subject of a forthcoming movie by Steven Spielberg, The War of the Worlds is a fantasy that is both startlingly up-to-date and in touch with the most ancient of human fears. Here this classic work receives its definitive visual interpretation at the hands of master illustrator Edward Gorey, who offers spectacular front and back cover art and several of his inimitably unsettling line drawings. One color illustration and 29 black-and-white illustrations are featured. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

A Perfect Fit
In case of any confusion, I am reviewing The War of the Worlds, illustrated by Edward Gorey.

I think the title probably says it all. Edward Gorey was the perfect man to illustrate The War of the Worlds. Dark, brooding and laced with a macabre humour, his illustrations are highly effective in illustrating Wells's classic invasion tale. If you like book illustration and are looking for an edition of the story, I don't think you can go wrong here.

The book is well bound, on nice paper, and is an attractive, compact size.

The story itself is superb, and certainly needs no review from me!

Edward Gorey Illustrates Wells. A reprint of an earlier edition.
"War Of The Worlds" is Wells' indictment of 19th Century Imperialism, as enforced by European technological superiority. Just as low tech societies were stunned & overwhelmed by 19th Century Europeans armed with artillery, warships & mass manufactured tools & weapons, so do the Martians humble the British Empire with Tripods, Heat Rays, & Black Smoke...all beyond Human comprehension or defensive measures.

Edward Gorey's creepy artistic style is perfect, reminding us of just how grotesque the Martians are intended to be.

I collect illustrated editions of "War Of The Worlds", and I highly recommend this nifty little volume.

The War of the Worlds
I think War of the Worlds accurately portrays how humans would react to hostile aliens arriving onto Earth.It paints interesting pictures while using science to back up the story.It is a true science fiction novel.The only downside to the story that I see was that the name of the narrator was never revealed to the audience, referring to himself as "I."It leaves us to question just exactly who he was. I also think that some of the events that happened in the book could have been composed of more detail so that the reader could fully understand what was happening.I admit that sometimes I was lost about what had just occurred, but skimming through the pages before I was caught up.

Other than that minor detail the book was expertly composed of facts and fiction, all strung together by a touch of reality.The story has a good plot, and the conclusion at the end was surprising.I had wondered from the beginning what might kill these seemingly invincible creatures, and to find out that disease killed them, it was entertaining to say at the least. The H.G. Wells's use of language stunned me, as his smooth words made the story seem less boring and more original. The story also shows us how alike we are to the monsters that tried to take over the planet.It shows us that we kill things for hunger and amusement.We take over land which once belonged to the animals and turn it into cities and towns, not taking into account how many of the precious animals' homes we have destroyed.

With the amount of effort that Wells has put into this book, I am interested to read his other science-fiction books, like The Time Machine and The Invisible Man.

War of the Worlds
It was fun reading the original, after seeing both movies.Lots of details, inner thoughts not possible otherwise.Very thought provoking.Loved the Gory illustrations.

War of the Books
Ellie Lezak
October 9, 2007

This book was no doubt the best science fiction book I have ever read. H.G. Wells does a amazing job recreating a book that has been done by many authors, into the type of story that has you on the edge of your seat, never wanting to put the book down because you just have to know what comes next. In this book, the main character who stays anonymous by name is a normal simple man, not any really any different from any of the other people in this time, but there is one difference, this man happens to know, how to survive. What to look for and what to stay away from, who to trust and who has to go. And how to rebuild something that was destroyed, so that there was nothing left. One normal night but one twist, what seems to be smoke in space coming from mars? For ten days, at the same time every night, the same smoke appears. And exactly 10 days after he 1st say the smoke a green light heading right for earth not to far from his house. Days. The day after the asteroid land no one really pays attention to it but it is mainly the noises inside that attract them. Even if they new what the future had in store for them. There would probably be no preventing fate from doing what was going to be done. Battling the fate of everyone around him this man manages to live, and start over again just like everyone else.

In H.G. Wells's writing, he does a amazing job to capture the seen, and make it so the reader can actually imagine what the situation would be like. And put them self's in the moment. There were only 2 things that I did not like about this book. At some points it would just go on, about the same thing, just a list of different things, and than it would happen again. And the only other thing that I didn't like was the ending. I've always thought that the ending of a book should be fun and exiting, and wrap up the whole story. But the ending to this book wasn't the best it explained a few things and than there was one food scene and it ended. But over all I would rate this book 4 stars out of five and I defiantly recommend it for all ages. ... Read more

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A scientist invents a time machine and uses it to travel hundreds of thousands of years into the future, where he discovers the childlike Eloi and the hideous underground Morlocks. ... Read more

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A Science Fiction Classic

From the twentieth century's first great practitioner of the novel of ideas comes a consummate masterpiece of science fiction about a man trapped in the terror of his own creation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What is unseen
Imagine if you were invisible and could come and go as you pleased, with nobody able to see you. Cool, right? Well, not really. H.G. Wells' "The Invisible Man" has the sci-fi master exploring what would happen if a person took an invisibility elixir, and discovered too late that invisibility has some definite downsides. It's possibly Wells' funniest novel, but it also has some wonderfully chilling moments.

A strange man arrives at a hotel in Iping, wrapped up in goggles, bandages, scarves, and heavy clothes. He spends most of his time hidden away in his room, doing odd scientific experiments, and avoiding contact with other people -- while still keeping everything except his nose hidden. Meanwhile, the local vicar and his wife are robbed by a mysterious thief... who is completely invisible.

Well, you can guess what's up with the stranger -- he's an invisible man, and after a blowup with his landlady he reveals his true.... um, lack of appearance to the entire town. After a series of disastrous encounters, the Invisible Man encounters Dr. Kemp, an old friend to whom he reveals how he became invisible, and what he's done since then... as well as his malevolent plans for the future.

H.G. Wells isn't really known for being a funny writer, but the first part of "The Invisible Man" is actually mildly hilarious. He writes the first third or so of the book in a fairly light, humorous style, and there are some fun scenes speckled through the story, like a homeless man dealing with the Invisible Man ("Not a bit of you visible--except-- You 'aven't been eatin' bread and cheese?").

But things get much darker after Mr. Kemp enters the scene, and we find out that the Invisible Man is... well, kind of malevolent and crazy. Very crazy.

And as the plot grows darker and grimmer, Wells also inserts a clever (if far-fetched even by Victorian standards) explanation for how a person could become invisible, using a mix of science and fantasy. The plot hurtles through wild chase scenes and the occasional riot, and some moments of bleak tension ("When dawn came to mingle its pallor with the lamp-light and cigar smoke of the dining-room, Kemp was still pacing...")

The Invisible Man himself (aka Griffin) is a pretty mysterious character for most of the story, since all we know about him is that he's invisible.... and also kind of a jerk. I mean, the guy constantly flies off the handle and even robs a nice little old vicar. And the more we find out about him, the more malignant and insane he turns out to be.

Even if you had a way to become invisible, "The Invisible Man" would be a pretty effective way of dissuading people from using it. A deserving classic. ... Read more