Other editions of book The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells - Delphi Classics

The novel tells the story of a journey to the moon by the impecunious businessman Mr Bedford and the brilliant but eccentric scientist Dr Cavor. On arrival, Bedford and Cavor find the moon inhabited by a race of moon-folk the two call "Selenites." The novel can also be read as a critique of prevailing political opinions from the turn of the century, particularly of imperialism.

Herbert George (H.G.) Wells was an English author most famous for writing science fiction novels. Wells was born to a middle class family in Bromley which is in the county of Kent. A bad accident in Well’s youth left him bedridden with a broken leg. It was during this tough time that Wells began to read books which his father borrowed from the local library and would develop the desire to write. Wells’ childhood was often difficult as he was forced to become an apprentice for a draper to help his family which was struggling financially. Wells then became a teacher and after living with his aunt he fell in love with his cousin and married her in 1891, but the couple separated after he fell for one of his students in 1894. Wells married the student, Amy Catherine Robbins, but was known to have many affairs which Amy accepted. Wells most famous science fiction novels include The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, and The Invisible Man but he also wrote on topics such as history, politics, and English society. Wells’ science fiction novel The First Men in the Moon was published in 1901 and tells the story of a businessman and mad scientist as they journey to the moon. Wells’ science fiction novels, particularly The First Men in the Moon, had a major influence on C.S. Lewis.

The First Men in the Moon is a scientific romance by the English author H. G. Wells, originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from December 1900 to August 1901 and published in hardcover in 1901,who called it one of his "fantastic stories". The novel tells the story of a journey to the moon undertaken by the two protagonists, a businessman narrator, Mr. Bedford, and an eccentric scientist, Mr. Cavor. Bedford and Cavor discover that the moon is inhabited by a sophisticated extraterrestrial civilisation of insect-like creatures they call "Selenites".

When penniless businessman Mr. Bedford retreats to the Kent coast to write a play, he meets by chance the brilliant Dr. Cavor, an absentminded scientist on the brink of developing a material that blocks gravity. Cavor soon succeeds in his experiments, only to tell a stunned Bedford that the invention makes possible one of the oldest dreams of humanity: a journey to the moon. With Bedford motivated by money, and Cavor by the desire for knowledge, the two embark on the expedition. But neither are prepared for what they find; a world of freezing nights, boiling days, and sinister alien life, in which they may be trapped forever.

When an eccentric scientist invents antigravity, he decides to build a spherical spaceship. He enlists the help of a London businessman to accompany him to the Moon. On arrival, they discover that the Moon is inhabited by a sophisticated extraterrestrial civilization. They must use their wits to avoid beasts and monsters, to survive their encounter with aliens, and to escape captivity.H. G. Wells is credited with the popularisation of time travel in 1895 with The Time Machine, introducing the idea of time being the “fourth dimension” a decade before the publication of Einstein’s first Relativity papers. In 1896, he imagined a mad scientist creating human-like beings from animals in The Island of Doctor Moreau, which created a growing interest in animal welfare throughout Europe. In 1897 with The Invisible Man, Wells shows how a formula could render one invisible, recognizing that an invisible eye would not be able to focus, thus rendering the invisible man blind. With The War of the Worlds in 1898, Wells established the idea that an advanced civilization could live on Mars, popularising the term ‘martian’ and the idea that aliens could invade Earth.This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.

When penniless businessman Mr Bedford retreats to the Kent coast to write a play, he meets by chance the brilliant Dr Cavor, an absent-minded scientist on the brink of developing a material that blocks gravity. Cavor soon succeeds in his experiments, only to tell a stunned Bedford the invention makes possible one of the oldest dreams of humanity: a journey to the moon. With Bedford motivated by money, and Cavor by the desire for knowledge, the two embark on the expedition. But neither are prepared for what they find - a world of freezing nights, boiling days and sinister alien life, on which they may be trapped forever.

The First Men in the Moon is a scientific romance by the English author H. G. Wells, originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from December 1900 to August 1901 and published in hardcover in 1901, who called it one of his "fantastic stories". The novel tells the story of a journey to the moon undertaken by the two protagonists, a businessman narrator, Mr. Bedford, and an eccentric scientist, Mr. Cavor. Bedford and Cavor discover that the moon is inhabited by a sophisticated extraterrestrial civilisation of insect-like creatures they call "Selenites".

El narrador es un hombre de negocios de Londres que se retira al campo para escribir una obra de teatro, por la que espera aliviar sus problemas financieros. Bedford alquila una pequeña casa rural en Lympne, Kent, donde quiere trabajar en paz. Sin embargo, a cada tarde lo molesta, precisamente al mismo tiempo, que un transeúnte haga ruidos extraños. Después de dos semanas Bedford accosts el hombre, que demuestra ser un físico solitario llamado Sr. Cavor. Bedford se hace amigo de Cavor cuando aprende que está desarrollando un nuevo material, cavorite, que puede negar la fuerza de la gravedad.Cuando una hoja de cavorite se procesa prematuramente, hace que el aire sobre él sea ingrávido y se dispare en el espacio. Bedford ve en la producción comercial de cavorite una posible fuente de "riqueza suficiente para hacer cualquier tipo de revolución social que creemos, podríamos poseer y ordenar al mundo entero". Cavour golpea la idea de una nave espacial esférica hecha de "acero, forrado con vidrio", y con "ventanas o persianas" deslizantes hechas de cavorite por las que se puede dirigir, y persuade a un Bedford renuente a emprender un viaje a la luna; Cavor es seguro que no hay vida allí...