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The Time Machine

A Norton Critical Edition
Series: Norton Critical Editions
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells is a groundbreaking work of science fiction that follows an inventor's journey far into the future. As he ventures out with his time machine, he encounters a world drastically changed, populated by both the idyllic Eloi and the ominous Morlocks. The novel explores themes of social division and human evolution while questioning the progress of civilisation.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by the concept of time travel and enjoy exploring imaginative tales that challenge our perception of the past and future. This enthralling narrative offers a glimpse into a dystopian future, combining adventure, social commentary, and philosophical reflections, which may captivate readers interested in speculative fiction.

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The Time Machine (1895) is H. G. Wells’s first published novel as well as his most enduring and influential work.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Intrigued by the possibilities of time travel as a student and inspired as a journalist by the great scientific advances of the Victorian Age, Wells drew on his own scientific publications—on evolution, degeneration, species extinction, geologic time, and biology—in writing The Time Machine. This Norton Critical Edition is based on the first London edition of the novel. It is accompanied by detailed explanatory annotations and "A Note on the Text."

Backgrounds and Contexts is organised thematically into four sections: "The Evolution of The Time Machine" presents alternative versions and instalments and excerpts of the author's time-travel story; "Wells's Scientific Journalism (1891–94)" focuses on the scientific topics central to the novel; "Wells on The Time Machine" reprints the prefaces to the 1924, 1931, and 1934 editions; and "Scientific and Social Contexts" collects five widely read texts by the Victorian scientists and social critics Edwin Ray Lankester, Thomas Henry Huxley, Benjamin Kidd, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), and Balfour Stewart and Peter Guthrie Tait.

Criticism includes three important early reviews of The Time Machine from the Spectator, the Daily Chronicle, and Pall Mall Magazine as well as eight critical essays that reflect our changing emphases in reading and appreciating this futuristic novel. Contributors include Yevgeny Zamyatin, Bernard Bergonzi, Kathryn Hume, Elaine Showalter, John Huntington, Paul A. Cantor and Peter Hufnagel, Colin Manlove, and Roger Luckhurst.

A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are also included.

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells is highly praised for its pioneering exploration of time travel, blending compelling storytelling with thought-provoking social commentary. Reviewers often highlight Wells's imaginative vision of the future and his skillful depiction of different eras and societies. While some mention the book's dated style, it is generally considered a classic of science fiction, lauded for its insightful critique of human nature and technological progress.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780393927948

Publisher: WW Norton & Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 July 2017

Country: United States

Imprint: WW Norton & Co

Edition: Critical edition

Contributors:

  • Edited by Stephen Arata

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 241g

Pages: 288

Collections

Fiction General Fiction H.G. Wells Literary Fiction Series: Norton Critical Editions

About the Author

Stephen Arata is Mayo Distinguished Teaching Professor and Associate Professor of English at the University of Virginia. His books include Fictions of Loss in the Victorian Fin de Siècle and editions of William Morris’s News from Nowhere and George Gissing’s New Grub Street.

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