A Short History of the World is a period-piece non-fictional historic work by H.G. Wells first published by Cassell & Co, Ltd Publishing in 1922. It was republished under Penguin Classics in 2006. The book was largely inspired by Wells earlier 1919 work The Outline of History.
The book is 344 pages in total, and tells of the history of the world, starting with the believed origins of the Earth around 2,000 million years ago, now known to be 4,404 million years according to 2005 estimates. The book then goes on to explain the, at the time believed, development of the Earth and life on Earth, until reaching primitive thought and the development of humankind from the Cradle of Civilisation. The book ends with the outcome of the First World War, the Russian famine of 1921, and the League of Nations in 1922.
Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books. Together with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback, Wells has been referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction".
Wells was an outspoken socialist and sympathetic to pacifist views, although he supported the First World War once it was under way, and his later works became increasingly political and didactic. His middle-period novels (1900–1920) were less science-fictional; they covered lower-middle class life (The History of Mr Polly) and the "New Woman" and the Suffragettes.
