H.G. Wells is justly famous as a writer of short stories, but for too long the originality of his contribution in this field has been unacknowledged. The present study argues that in his short stories Wells was not simply emulating the styles and themes of his predecessors but making a distinctive contribution to the genre grounded firmly in his approach to fiction. The study demonstrates that Wells's short stories merit far closer critical attention than they have yet received and possess considerable psychological and symbolic insight.

Preface - Acknowledgements - PART 1: OVERVIEW - Wells and the Short Story - The Frontiers of Art - A Checklist of Wells's Short Stories - PART 2: CASE STUDIES - Suburban Gardens - Mysterious Worlds - A Hideous Grimace - The Magic Crystal - The Man Alone - Lost Orientations - First and Last Things - Appendix - Notes - Bibliography - Index