The Shape of Things to Come

by H.G. Wells

Book Overview

When a diplomat dies in the 1930s, he leaves behind a book of 'dream visions' he has been experiencing, detailing events that will occur on Earth for the next two hundred years. This fictional... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0460873512
• ISBN13: 9780460873512
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Everyman
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 1.0" x 5.1"

Customer Reviews

The shape of things to come - H.G.Wells

Excellent condition and very interesting reading - especially now in our troubled times. When will we learn that NO ONE wins in a war except a small handful of VERY GREEDY and IMMORAL people! Should be required reading in our schools.

H. G. Wells - Conspirator.

_The Shape of Things to Come_ is the Penguin Classics edition of the novel first published in 1933 by the famous science fiction writer and British socialist H. G. Wells which provides an account of the "history of the future" and offers predictions as to what the future (at the time of writing) will bring. H. G. Wells envisioned this book in many ways to be a sequel to the historical work _The Outline of History_ (1930) which attempted to predict future developments taking off from where "history" left off. This book is particularly prescient and offered predictions for a Second World War and the creation of a "World State" and world government. As such, it is apparent that the thinking of individuals in the milieu of Wells had a profound influence on the thinking of the elite who operated behind the scenes in the Twentieth Century to erect a world government. H. G. Wells (1866 - 1946) was a British science fiction writer of world renown best known for his novels dealing with various scientific predictions and developments. However, there is another side to Wells. Wells also had an interest in politics and was an avid socialist, seeking to redress perceived social wrongs, who joined the Fabian society of socialists seeking "revolution" through gradualism for a time. Wells ardently believed in the ideals of socialism and world government as the answer to Nineteenth and early Twentieth century discrepancies in wealth. Wells was also an historian who was influenced heavily by Darwinian thinking and science. This novel which is really more of a political outline for a utopia than a real "novel", provides a vision of the World State achieved through co-operation among nations, as well as predicting various Twentieth century events including the Second World War. The "novel" is presented as the "dream book" left behind by one Dr. Philip Raven, an intellectual working for the League of Nations, who dies in 1930. This "dream book" reveals Raven's visions for the future of mankind and the creation of the World State. These visions are particularly prescient in light of the developments of the Twentieth century and the coming emergence of a worldwide government, and it is obvious that Wells was certainly no small visionary. As such, I believe this book is highly important and can be profitably read today to understand the events that have taken place in world politics during the Twentieth century and even into our own times. The novel begins with an Introduction to "The Dream Book of Dr. Philip Raven". This introduction explains that Dr. Philip Raven was an intellectual working for the League of Nations who died in Geneva in 1930. Further, it is explained the means by which Dr. Philip Raven maintained contact with the future and through his visions was able to predict the coming World State. The introduction is supposed to be written by H. G. Wells himself who serves as the "transcriber" of Dr. Philip Raven's manuscripts. The novel then