H G Wells

The History of Mr Polly Annotated H G Wells

The History of Mr. Polly is a comic novel, written by H. G. Wells and first published in 1910, it is inspired by Wells' early experiences as a draper's apprentice. The main character is a Mr. Alfred Polly, born around 1870. Deemed to be a timid young man without direction, living in Edwardian England, who even though he is a bumbling fool achieves quite a contented and serene life without much help from those around him. This edition contains an introductory biography of Wells' life and works, as well as a bibliography of his works. Fans of H. G. Wells's famous, genre-spawning science fiction novels may be startled to read his less-remembered but once bestselling The History of Mr. Polly. Its comically romping narrative voice is worlds away from the stern, melancholy tone of The Time Machine. Wells won fame for his apocalyptic, preachy books about the history of the future, but this history is strictly, as Mr. Polly would put it in his creatively cracked version of English, a series of "little accidentulous misadventures."