H.G. Wells / Obras Maestras

by H.G. Wells

608 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Herbert George Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scholarship in 1884, to study biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science. Wells earned his bachelor of science and doctor of science degrees at the University of London. After marrying his cousin, Isabel, Wells began to supplement his teaching salary with short stories and freelance articles, then books, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).

Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.

He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.

More: http://philosopedia.org/index.php/H._...

http://www.online-literature.com/well...

http://www.hgwellsusa.50megs.com/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells

Reviews

[Miguel Cisneros Saucedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The compilation of H.G. Wells's fundamental works offers a fascinating literary exploration that, beyond its value as science fiction, proves to be an extraordinarily visionary exercise in imagination. In these novels, Wells demonstrates a profound understanding of the application of engineering principles to solve complex problems under material, ethical, and social constraints. This edition, by bringing together his most important works, allows us to appreciate how Wells anticipated dilemmas that are central to modern practice today.

In "The Time Machine", the Traveler is not simply a dreamer, but an engineer who applies physical principles to overcome material limitations. The careful description of the artifact reveals a design process where the selection of materials responds to specific needs of durability and functionality. Wells even intuits the concept of a factor of safety when the protagonist admits that he did not know if his machine would survive the journey, anticipating the contemporary practice of destructive and non-destructive testing before implementation. Moreover, the future society he discovers represents a thought experiment about unintended consequences.

"The Invisible Man" takes this approach even further, becoming a treatise on civic ethics. The main character is not a magician, but a chemist who solves the problem of invisibility through optical refinements. Tragedy arises precisely when Griffin ignores the social and moral constraints of his invention. This dynamic accurately reflects the challenge of engineers, who must balance innovation with social responsibility. Griffin's obsession with efficiency without considering human factors anticipates current debates about user-centered design.

The War of the Worlds, meanwhile, shows Wells applying principles of reverse engineering. The Martians are not sorcerers, but superior beings whose war machines are analyzed by the narrator. Wells even anticipates modern concepts of systems engineering by showing how the invaders fail not because of technological weakness, but because they fail to adequately consider biological constraints. A powerful reminder that the most elegant designs can fail due to unexpected variables.

Also, good and evil appear relative in The War of the Worlds, and the defeat of the Martians has an entirely material cause: the action of microscopic bacteria. An insane clergyman is important in the novel, but his attempts to relate the invasion to Armageddon seem examples of his mental derangement. His death, as a result of his evangelical outbursts and ravings attracting the attention of the Martians, appears an indictment of his obsolete religious attitudes.

The edition deserves four stars because, although it presents these fundamental texts, it lacks a good Spanish translation and also summarizes some chapters.

Wells understood before anyone else that true engineering is not just applying formulas, but navigating complex technical, ethical, and social constraints.

[Arturo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es increíble que para el año en que escribió la mayoría de las historias muy pocas personas imaginaban alienígenas, personas que podían convertirse en invisibles o mínimo en una isla de seres humanoides mucho menos en maquinas del tiempo (mi favorita como habrá hecho su deducción para imaginarse un mundo así)

[Alejandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

H. G. Wells is the definition of science fiction but his stories always have that touch of desolation and loss. Like if the hunger of growing and knowing and being more was the man's doom. Also, "The Food of the Gods"... GREAT story. Highly appropriate for our times.

[Abel Gomez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este año decidí (por accidente) leerme todo lo importante de Wells, y me gustaría hacer esto con otros autores anualmente.

Es un poquito trampa agregar este libro porque leí sus historias importantes en libros separados xd pero tiene unas 4 historias cortas más en esta colección, por las historias en si mismo, están bien, nada del otro mundo, por las mas conocidas y mas largas todas son muy buenas. La mayoría de esas en 4 estrellas