Book excerpt: This book is a collection of eight short stories written by H. G. Wells. "The Short Stories of H. G. Wells" constitutes a must-have for lovers of the short storm form and is not to be missed by fans of Wells' fantastic work. Herbert George Wells (1866 - 1946) was a prolific English writer who wrote in a variety of genres, including the novel, politics, history, and social commentary. Today, he is perhaps best remembered for his contributions to the science fiction genre thanks to such novels as "The Time Machine" (1895), "The Invisible Man" (1897), and "The War of the Worlds" (1898). "The Father of Science Fiction" was also a staunch socialist, and his later works are increasingly political and didactic. The stories include: "The Time Machine", "The Empire of the Ants", "A Vision of Judgement", "The Land Ironclads", The Beautiful Suit", "The Door in the Wall", "The Pearl of Love", and "The Country of the Blind". Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.