A Short History of the World

Spanning the origins of the Earth to the outcome of the First World War, this is a brilliantly compelling account of the evolution of life and the development of the human race. Along the way, Wells considers such diverse subjects as the Neolithic era, the rise of Judaism, the Golden Age of Athens, the life of Christ, the rise of Islam, the discovery of America and the Industrial Revolution. Breathtaking in its scope and passionate in its intensity, this history remains one of the most readable of its kind.

Born in 1866 in Bromley, England, to a poor family, Herbert George Wells began as an apprentice at the age of 14, but educated himself on his own, received a scholarship (1884), and specialized in biology at the University of London, from which he graduated in 1888.

Having become a teacher, but still without money, he will ask journalism for additional resources.

His first book is a work of biology, his second a novel: La Machine à explorer le temps (1895), which was an immediate success.

One of the pioneers, with Jules Verne, of the novel of anticipation, Wells is also a polemist, believing in progress through science.

These trends are reflected throughout a work that includes nearly 50 novels, tales, short stories and essays.

H. G. Wells died in London on August 13, 1946.