Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) remains one of Britain's best known writers. Of his many books, the science fiction (SF) novels are still avidly read.

His astonishing debut on the scene of world literature was The Time Machine one hundred years ago, which set the pattern for the new literary form of SF. This was followed by other triumphs which perfected many of SF's favourite themes, including alien invasion in The War of the Worlds (1898), and in The First Men in the Moon (1901) he set the standard for space travel writing.

As the new century progressed, Wells became increasingly concerned with the re-ordering of human affairs; The Shape of Things to Come appeared in 1933, and was made into the classic 1936 film, Things to Come, scripted by Wells.