H.G. Wells - the writer in Woking
H.G. Wells the writer in Woking
Living in Woking worked extremely well for Wells the writer, as he himself admitted: ‘There I planned and wrote the War of the Worlds and the Invisible Man’. In fact, this was an understatement. While living in Woking Wells saw the publication of The Time Machine, completed The Island of Dr. Moreau, wrote and published both The Wonderful Visit and a pioneering cycling novel The Wheels of Chance. Finally, he began writing When the Sleeper Wakes, another science fiction story, and Love and Mr Lewisham. In brief, Wells’ ‘Woking period’ resulted in several of his bestselling, most famous and enduring books alongside a wide range of journalism and short stories.
Looking back in 1898, Wells recorded that during the past few years he had been a creative writer working ‘at a ghastly pace’ and ‘writing away for dear life’ to make his name and fortune. By the time he left Woking his career as a full time writer was – to quote from his autobiography - ‘Fairly Launched At Last’: ‘We were “getting on” ’. Moreover, he was earning a substantial income. Reportedly, his 1896 literary earnings of £1,056 are worth £118,000 in present-day terms!
Other titles written by Wells include The First Men in the Moon (1901), Kipps (1905) and The History of Mr Polly (1910). Wells’ non-fiction writing includes his international best seller The Outline of History (1920).
Select list of his writing
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1878 |
Wells wrote an illustrated comic book The Desert Daisy |
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1895 |
As a novelist Wells made his debut with The Time Machine, a parody of English class division and a satirical warning that human progress is not inevitable |
|
1895 |
The Wonderful Visit |
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1896 |
The Wheels of Chance was written at the height of the cycling craze (1890–1905), when practical, comfortable bicycles first became widely and cheaply available and before the rise of the automobile. |
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1896 |
Wells contemplates the ideas of nature and nurture and questions humanity in books such as The Island of Doctor Moreau. |
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1897 |
The Invisible Man |
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1898 |
War of the Worlds |
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1899 |
When the Sleeper Wakes |
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1900 |
Love and Mr Lewisham |
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1901 |
The First Men in the Moon |
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1902 |
The Sea Lady |
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1903 |
Mankind in The Making |
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1911 |
Wells also wrote dozens of short stories and novellas, the best known of which is “The Country of The Blind” |
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1905 |
A Modern Utopia |
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1905 |
Kipps: The story of a simple soul |
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1906 |
In the Days of the Comet |
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1908 |
The War In the Air |
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1910 |
Tono-Bungay and The History Of Mr Polly |
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1911 |
Floor Games |
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1913 |
Little Wars is recognised today as the first recreational war games and Wells is regarded by gamers and hobbyists as "the Father of Miniature War Gaming |
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1914 |
The World set Free |
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1920 |
The Outline of History |
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1923 |
Men like Gods |
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1930 |
The Science of Life |
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1930 |
The Autocracy of Mr Parham |
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1931 |
Happiness of Mankind |
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1933 |
Wells predicted in The Shape of Things to Come that the world war he feared would begin in January 1940, a prediction which ultimately came true four months early, when the Second World War broke out in September 1939 |
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1939 |
The Holy Terror |