H. G. Wells' the Time Machine: A Reference Guide

The Time Machine is one of the most important works of science fiction. It greatly influenced the genre and continues to be widely read at all levels. This reference guide overviews the novel for students and general readers. Written by a leading scholar on H.G. Wells, the volume covers all aspects of the work, including its plot, textual history, historical and intellectual contexts, themes, style, and reception.

Written more than 100 years ago, H.G. Wells' first novel forever shaped the course of science fiction. Of all his vast writings, The Time Machine seems most likely to ensure his permanent place in literary history. But more than a literary work, it is now widely recognized as a key text in the history of ideas, for the notion of time travel has profoundly influenced human thought. So too, with its bleak view of the future, The Time Machine has made a seminal contribution to the ongoing debate concerning the future course of evolution.

Though The Time Machine is widely read and studied, there is relatively little written about it. Prepared by a leading authority on H.G. Wells, this reference is a convenient introductory guide to the novel. It examines all aspects of the work, including its textual history, historical and intellectual contexts, themes, literary style, and critical reception. The volume also includes a detailed plot summary and an extensive bibliographic essay.

To help students understand what he calls "a key text in the history of ideas," Hammond has created a guide to the creation, content, and influences of The Time Machine. He provides a biography of Wells' life up to the novel's publication, a plot summary and examination of the novel's genesis, publication and reception. Hammond, a research fellow at Nottingham Trent University, explicates the novel's themes, which include the extinction of man and the history of the future. He also discusses Wells' literary craftsmanship. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

JOHN R. HAMMOND is a Research Fellow at Nottingham Trent University. His previous books include H.G. Wells and the Modern Novel (1988) and H.G. Wells and the Short Story (1992). He has also edited The Complete Short Stories of H.G. Wells (1998).