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Overview
The World Set Free is a novel published in 1914 by H. G. Wells. The book is based on a prediction of nuclear weapons of a more destructive and uncontrollable sort than the world has yet seen. A frequent theme of Wells's work, as in his 1901 non ction book Anticipations, was the history of humans' mastery of power and energy through technological advance, seen as a determinant of human progress. The novel begins: "The history of mankind is the history of the attainment of external power. Man is the tool-using, re-making animal. . . . Always down a lengthening record, save for a set-back ever and again, he is doing more." (Many of the ideas Wells develops here found a fuller development when he wrote The Outline of History in 1918-1919.) The novel is dedicated "To Frederick Soddy's Interpretation of Radium," a volume published in 1909. Scientists of the time were well aware that the slow natural radioactive decay of elements like radium continues for thousands of years, and that while the rate of energy release is negligible, the total amount released is huge. Wells used this as the basis for his story.
Each RADLEY CLASSIC is a meticulously restored, luxurious and faithful reproduction of a classic book; produced with elegant text layout, clarity of presentation, and stylistic features that make reading a true pleasure. Special attention is given to legible fonts and adequate letter sizing, correct line length for readability, generous margins and triple lead (lavish line separation); plus we do not allow any mistakes/changes/additions to creep into the author's words.
Visit RADLEY BOOKS at www.radleybooks.com to see more classic book titles in this series.
Each RADLEY CLASSIC is a meticulously restored, luxurious and faithful reproduction of a classic book; produced with elegant text layout, clarity of presentation, and stylistic features that make reading a true pleasure. Special attention is given to legible fonts and adequate letter sizing, correct line length for readability, generous margins and triple lead (lavish line separation); plus we do not allow any mistakes/changes/additions to creep into the author's words.
Visit RADLEY BOOKS at www.radleybooks.com to see more classic book titles in this series.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781541146969 |
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Publisher: | CreateSpace Publishing |
Publication date: | 12/15/2016 |
Pages: | 248 |
Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.52(d) |
About the Author
English author Herbert George Wells wrote more than fifty novels and several short stories. He was born on 21 September 1866, in Bromley, Kent, and was the fourth and last child of Joseph Wells. Wells married his cousin Isabel Mary Wells in 1891. In 1894 the couple got separated, and he fell in love with one of his students, Amy Catherine Robbins, with whom he relocated to Woking, Surrey, in May 1895. Wells' greatest collection of work, which was lamented by younger authors he had influenced, was produced before the First World War. Wells passed away in his residence at 13 Hanover Terrace, which had an overlooked view of Regent's Park, in London on August 13, 1946, at the age of 79 due to unidentified causes. Wells was cremated at Golders Green Crematory, and his ashes were scattered into the English Channel at Old Harry Rocks, which is located in Dorset and approximately 3.5 miles from Swanage.
Date of Birth:
September 21, 1866Date of Death:
August 13, 1946Place of Birth:
Bromley, Kent, EnglandPlace of Death:
London, EnglandEducation:
Normal School of Science, London, EnglandTable of Contents
Series Foreword ixIntroduction: A Crash Louder Than Thunder xv
Sarah Cole
Preface xxv
Prelude: The Sun Snares 1
1 The New Source of Energy 25
2 The Last War 63
3 The Ending of War 113
4 The New Phase 163
5 The Last Days of Marcus Karenin 207
Afterword: Shall We Play a Game? 243
Joshua Glenn
What People are Saying About This
From the Publisher
“The World Set Free is a crucial novel in Wells’s amazing effort, and it’s great to see it in a new edition.”
—Kim Stanley Robinson, author of The Ministry for the Future
“A breathless story of great wars of World Powers, of hovering aeroplanes with atomic bombs, and of peace between Kings in a World Council.”
—Sinclair Lewis, Detroit Free Press (1914)
“The color, vigor, and picturesqueness of Mr. Wells’s description of this last war combine to produce an amazing effect.”
—The New York Times (1914)
“The World Set Free is not so much fiction as a forecast of a quite improbable future.”
—The Bookman (1914)
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