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First edition cover
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The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents is a collection of fifteen short stories written by the English author H. G. Wells (1866–1946), first published by Methuen & Co. in 1895.[1] It was Wells’s first book of short stories, most of which had already been published in the Pall Mall BudgetWeekly magazine published in London from 1868 until 1920..

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 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 Flowering of 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)
  • “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)
  • “Through a WindowShort story by H. G. Wells, first published in 1894, a precursor to the sub-genre of thriller in which a crippled or bed-ridden hero, after observing the world through a window, is suddenly confronted by a killer.” (1894)
  • “The Temptation of HarringayA short story by H. G. Wells, published in 1895, about an artist who paints a man's head that comes to life and criticises his work.” (1895)
  • “The Flying ManShort story written by H. G. Wells first published in 1895, about a British soldier who, trapped on a ledge, improvises a parachute to escape.” (1895)
  • “The Diamond MakerShort story by H. G. Wells first published in 1894, about a tramp who claims to be able to make diamonds.” (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 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 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 Hammerpond Park BurglaryShort story by H. G. Wells published in 1894, about a burglary that begins badly but is eventually successfully concluded.” (1894)
  • “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.” (1895)
  • “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. 54

Bibliography

Hammond, J. R. An H. G. Wells Companion. The Macmillan Press, 1979.

External links