H.G. Wells and Woking: The literary Heritage
- Dates
- Saturday 17 September 2016 at 2:00 PM
- Venue
- Surrey History Centre, 130 Goldsworth Road, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6ND
- Admission
- Tickets are free but places must be booked
- 2016 Surrey Heritage Annual Lecture followed by book launch for Peter J. Beck’s The War of the Worlds: from H.G. Wells to Orson Welles, Jeff Wayne and Steven Spielberg.
- In the 2016 Surrey Heritage Lecture Peter Beck will explore H.G. Wells’s links with Woking, most notably through residence, experience of walking and cycling in and around the town, and inclusion of specific places in his writing. In turn, these links have created a Wellsian literary heritage, such as reflected by ‘The Martian’ sculpture and the soon to be unveiled sculpture of Wells himself.
- Following the lecture, Peter Beck will launch his recently published book about Wells’s bestselling book The War of the Worlds, and outline how since publication the story has developed a life of its own – from book to radio programme, film and music stage production.
- Emeritus Professor of History at Kingston University, Peter Beck has lived in Woking for over 40 years. His most recent book, Presenting History: Past and Present was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2012. His latest book, The War of the Worlds: from H.G. Wells to Orson Welles, Jeff Wayne, and Steven Spielberg and beyond, is due to be published in August 2016 by Bloomsbury.
- At Surrey History Centre, 130 Goldsworth Road, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6ND. Tickets are free but places must be booked online, in person at Surrey History Centre or any Surrey Library or phone 01483 518737.
- Saturday 17 September 2016, 2pm - 3.30pm
- Read the reviews of Peter Beck’s The War of the Worlds: from H.G. Wells to Orson Welles, Jeff Wayne, and Steven Spielberg and beyond here
- Part of Wells in Woking celebrations.
Note: Photo of Peter Beck on Horsell Common taken by Julian Earwaker.