7 h 44 minAudiobook2 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What do two men carry to the Moon besides curiosity—and what happens when they find it inhabited?
Mr Bedford retreats to the English countryside after business failures, hoping to earn money by writing a play. Then he meets Mr Cavor, an absorbed scientist whose invention blocks gravity. In H. G. Wells’s The First Men in the Moon, their spherical vessel turns an unlikely partnership into a journey beyond Earth.
Sunlight transforms the lunar landscape, bringing strange plants to life on seemingly barren ground. Beneath the surface, Bedford and Cavor encounter the Selenites and their vast, organised society. But wonder soon meets fear. Bedford wants to improve his fortunes; Cavor wants to understand. Their different aims put more than discovery at stake.
What you’ll discover
- An unlikely travelling pair Follow a businessman and a scientist whose clashing priorities bring humour and unease to discovery.
- Gravity loses its grip Explore the possibilities of cavorite, a substance whose dangers reach beyond its inventor’s control.
- A landscape waking up Watch sunlight reveal strange, rapidly growing plants where the Moon first seems barren.
- Life beneath the surface Meet the Selenites, whose underground society shapes its members for highly specialised tasks.
- Curiosity meets conquest Consider whether exploration can stay peaceful when fear, wealth, and unfamiliar customs collide.
Is it for you?
Readers who enjoy strange-world adventures, eccentric inventors, and encounters with alien societies will appreciate the humour and unease of this lunar journey.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
Who’s who
- Mr BedfordA businessman with failed ventures behind him, Bedford sees the lunar journey as a chance to improve his fortunes.
- Mr CavorAn absorbed and inventive scientist, Cavor values discovery more than profit and hopes to understand the Moon's inhabitants.
- CavoriteCavor's gravity-blocking substance makes space travel possible but creates dangers that its inventor cannot fully control.
- The SelenitesThe Moon's inhabitants live underground in a society whose members are shaped for highly specialised tasks.
- Discovery and conquestThe journey tests whether human curiosity can remain peaceful when fear, wealth, and unfamiliar customs enter the picture.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 44 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 2 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Les Premiers Hommes dans la Lune in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
Les Premiers Hommes dans la Lune
by H. G. Wells· 1901
Two travellers to the Moon find a society beneath its surface.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Français
“reste le révélateur exceptionnel de l'espoir et du désespoir incarnés dans la technologie”
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Mr Bedford retreats to the English countryside after business failures, hoping to make money by writing a play. His plans change when he meets Mr Cavor, a scientist whose distracted habits conceal an extraordinary project. Cavor is developing a substance that can block the force of gravity. Bedford quickly sees the chance for profit; Cavor sees a discovery that could transform science.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
H. G. Wells
1866–1946 · English science fiction novelist
H. G. Wells (1866–1946) was an English writer born in Bromley, Kent. He wrote novels, short stories and nonfiction. His novels included The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897) and The War of the Worlds (1898). He died in London.
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More by H. G. Wells
All 37 books
More like this
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Les Premiers Hommes dans la Lune
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is The First Men in the Moon about?
Two Englishmen travel to the Moon using a substance that blocks gravity. Beneath its surface, they encounter the Selenites and their organised society. Their adventure brings together scientific curiosity, the pursuit of wealth, and the difficulty of meeting beings whose lives differ radically from their own.
What is cavorite in The First Men in the Moon?
Cavorite is the fictional substance invented by Mr Cavor. It blocks gravitational attraction, allowing Cavor and Bedford to leave Earth in a specially designed sphere. It is the novel's central scientific invention, not a real material or an established physical possibility.
Who are the Selenites?
The Selenites are the intelligent inhabitants of the Moon. They live beneath its surface and organise their society around specialised functions. Wells uses their unfamiliar bodies and social arrangements to challenge the travellers' assumptions about intelligence, useful work, and how a civilisation should operate.
Popular in science fiction
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
