Synopsis

History

First publication: John Lane / Merriam, May 1895

Review

“The lady asked me if I had been to Chicago.” I chuckled. I could imagine no more hideous insult to my uncle. ...“She informed me that I ought to have gone to Chicago, and that America was a great country., and I remarked that I had always thought it was so great that one could best appreciate it at a distance.” This book is a collection of short stories which were published in Pall Mall Magazine before 1895. They were collected here and published one day ahead of the publication of The Time Machine, making this technically Wells’ first book. This is very different from the Wells you are familiar with. If you are a fan of The Time Machine or The War of the Worlds and are looking for more of that you will be disappointed. This book is closer to works like The Wheels of Chance or Love and Mr. Lewisham. The stories are anecdotes, little observations of different aspects of human character, as told to “George” by his “uncle.” While “George” can be assumed to be Wells, the uncle is a fictional character. The stories are funny and satirical, covering a wide range of human follies. In this you can see the beginnings of the character observations Wells would bring to all of his great novels. Not a towering classic, but an enjoyable book that can be read entirely in an afternoon. Recommended for any true fan of Wells.