Illustration by Eric Pape from the first American edition of H. G. Wells' The War in the Air (1908).
Featured on PDR in the essay H. G. Wells and the Uncertainties of Progress
In addition to the numerous pioneering works of science fiction by which he made his name, H. G. Wells also published a steady stream of non-fiction meditations, mainly focused on themes salient to his stories: the effects of technology, human folly, and the idea of progress. As Peter J. Bowler explores, for Wells the notion of a better future was riddled with complexities.
Also appearing in the essay…
“This here progress,” said Tom Smallways, “it keeps on.”
Artist
Date
1908
From
The War in the Air
