See caption
H. G. Wells, c. 1918
Wikimedia Commons

Thirty Strange Stories is a collection of short stories written by the English author H. G. Wells (1866–1946), published in the United States in 1897. Two of the stories included – “Le Mari Terrible” and “The Rajahs TreasureShort story by H. G. Wells published in 1896, about a rajah who is murdered by his heir, for an unexpected treasure trove.” – never appeared in book form in Britain.[1]

Contents

Stories are shown in the order in which they appear in the book, which is not necessarily the order in which they first appeared in print.

  • “The Strange OrchidShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1894. A collector of orchids grows an unknown species which develops aerial rootlets that attach themselves to his skin and suck his blood.” (1894)
  • “Æpyornis IslandShort story by H. G. Wells, first published in 1894, which can be read as a Robinsonade, a parable on the theme of loneliness, or simply a ripping yarn in the manner of Rudyard Kipling.” (1894)
  • “The Plattner StoryShort story by H. G. Wells published in 1896, about a chemistry teacher who causes an explosion that propels him into another world.” (1896)
  • “The Argonauts of the AirShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1895, about the disastrous first flight of a heavier-than-air flying machine.” (1895)
  • “The Story of the Late Mr. ElveshamShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1896, about a young man whose body is taken over by an elderly philosopher.” (1896)
  • “The Stolen BacillusShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1894, about an anarchist who steals what he believes to be a tube of cholera bacteria to poison London's water supply, but which is in reality harmless.” (1894)
  • “The Red RoomShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1896, a horror story in the manner of Edgar Allan Poe.” (1896)
  • “The MothShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1895. It concerns a bitter rivalry between two entomologists, ending with the death of one and the insanity of the other.” (1896)
  • “In the Abyss”Short story by H. G. Wells first published in the August 1896 edition of Pearson’s Magazine. It tells of a descent to the deep ocean bed and an encounter with a previously unknown undersea civilisation. (1896)
  • “Slip Under the KnifeShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1896, about an out of body experience while under anaesthetic.” (1896)
  • “The ReconciliationShort story by H. G. Wells published in 1895, about two men who attempt a reconciliation culminating in the death of one of them.“
  • “A Slip Under the MicroscopeShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1896, about the ethical dilemma faced by a student who inadvertently cheats during his botany exam.” (1896)
  • “In the Avu ObservatoryShort story by H. G. Wells, about an attack by a large bat-like creature on an assistant at an observatory in Borneo.” (1894)
  • “The Triumphs of a TaxidermistHumorous short story by H. G. Wells first published in 1894.” (1894)
  • “A Deal in OstrichesShort story by H. G. Wells, published in 1894. A confidence trick involving an ostrich that allegedly swallowed a diamond displays the extent of human greed.” (1894)
  • “The Rajah’s TreasureShort story by H. G. Wells published in 1896, about a rajah who is murdered by his heir, for an unexpected treasure trove.“
  • “The Remarkable Case of Davidson’s EyesShort story by H. G. Wells published in 1895, about a researcher who, after stooping between the poles of a large electromagnet, becomes temporarily blind to the world around him, seeing only an island beach.” (1895)
  • “The ConeShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1895, about one man's revenge on an artist he suspects is having an affair with his wife.” (1895)
  • “The Purple PileusShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1896, about a struggling small shopkeeper whose life is transformed after consuming some magic mushrooms.” (1896)
  • “A CatastropheShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1895 about a struggling shopkeeper saved from bankruptcy by an unexpected legacy.” (1895)
  • “Le Mari Terrible”
  • “The AppleShort story by H. G. Wells published in 1896, about a schoolmaster who comes into possession of an apple from the Tree of Knowledge.” (1896)
  • “The Sad Story of a Dramatic CriticRedirected to "The Obliterated Man".” (1895)
  • “The Jilting of JaneShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1894, about an episode in the romantic life of a young maidservant who is engaged to be married.” (1894)
  • “The Lost InheritanceShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1896, about the lost will left by a rich uncle.” (1896)
  • “Pollock and the Porroh ManShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1895, about a murdered witch-doctor whose severed head haunts the man responsible for his death.” (1895)
  • “The Sea-RaidersShort story by H. G. Wells, first published in 1896, about a raid by an unknown species of octopus-like creatures on the south coast of England.” (1896)
  • “In the Modern Vein: An Unsympathetic Love StoryShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1894, about a minor poet's infatuation with a girl he meets at a tennis party.” (1894)
  • “The Lord of the DynamosShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1894. It concerns a stoker employed at the Camberwell electric railway workshops who becomes convinced that a large dynamo is a deity, and kills his superior in a religious frenzy.” (1894)
  • “The Treasure in the ForestShort story written by H. G. Wells and published in 1897, about the fate of two men who steal a treasure map from a Chinaman.” (1894)

See also

  • H. G. Wells bibliographyList of publications written by H. G. Wells during the more than fifty years of his literary career.

References

  1. p. 55

Bibliography

External links