8 h 18 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 18 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a dusty shop held a window to another world, and an ordinary man's wishes could change everything?
In Tales of Space and Time, H. G. Wells gives ordinary lives a startling turn. In The Crystal Egg, London curio dealer Mr. Cave discovers a distant world inside a strange object. In The Star, astronomers notice a new body approaching, and the whole Earth faces a threat from the sky.
A Story of the Days to Come follows Denton and Elizabeth as they struggle to build a life in a vast future London divided by wealth. The Man Who Could Work Miracles gives George McWhirter Fotheringay a power he never believes possible. Across these tales, wonder meets a sharp question: what can small human beings do when their world changes?
What you’ll discover
- A window beyond Earth Peer through Mr. Cave's crystal egg, where a shabby shop opens onto something vast.
- Danger in the sky Watch astronomers confront a discovery that makes everyday human concerns seem suddenly small.
- Love in a divided city Follow Denton and Elizabeth through a future where wealth shapes the city itself.
- Wishes with real power Meet a man who doubts miracles until he discovers that he can work them.
- Wonder with a sharp edge Explore bold scientific ideas alongside Wells's searching eye for English life and social divisions.
Who will love it
This book is for readers who love big ideas told through small, lively people: fans of early science fiction, other planets, deep time and future cities.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A shopkeeper hides the crystal he loves
- The egg opens onto a valley on Mars
- A new star appears and the world watches
- One mathematician sees the danger clearly
- Ugh-lomi and Eudena flee the tribe's ruler
- Axe, bear, horse and a lion named Uya
- Love, hypnosis and a flight to the empty hills
- The city grinds its people down
- A clerk finds he can order the world about
- What the five tales share and how they are told
Who’s who
- Mr CaveA frightened old dealer in antiquities near Seven Dials who hides a glowing crystal egg from his family and will not sell it.
- Ugh-lomiA young Stone Age hunter who fights the tribe's ruler, invents the stone axe, and wants to keep Eudena safe.
- EudenaA quick, brave girl of the tribe who flees with Ugh-lomi and learns to hunt, fight and stay alive beside him.
- Uya the CunningThe old, strong ruler of the river tribe, who takes the best food and the women and hunts anyone who defies him.
- DentonA young attendant at a flying stage in future London who loves Elizabeth and struggles to support her in a ruthless city.
- Elizabeth MwresA girl of eighteen who loves old romances and Denton, and who refuses to marry the man her father has picked.
- George FotheringayA clerk who denies miracles until he finds he can command the world by an act of will.
- Mr MaydigAn excitable minister who believes Fotheringay's gift is genuine and urges him to do more and more good.
Formats and delivery
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- Paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Tales of Space and Time
by H. G. Wells · 1899
A clerk who argues against miracles in a pub makes a lamp hang upside down, and his night gets stranger.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
What if a polished glass egg in a junk shop window could show you another world? In Tales of Space and Time, H.
Tales of Space and Time at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 45 min3 h 45 min fast, 5 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 67,800 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1899by H. G. Wells
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A shopkeeper hides the crystal he loves
The Crystal Egg opens in a grimy shop near Seven Dials, owned by Mr Cave, a dealer in antiquities. His window holds tusks, skulls, stuffed monkeys and one polished crystal shaped like an egg. A tall clergyman and a dark young man stop to admire it. Mr Cave, to everyone's surprise, does not want to sell.
He names a price of five pounds, far more than he meant to ask, and then he tries to wriggle out of the deal. His wife storms in and tells him to take the money. Then the crystal disappears from the window, and the family accuses one another. The egg is safe in the rooms of Mr Wace, a young hospital demonstrator.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1899
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 25 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Wells, H. G. Tales of Space and Time. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-space-and-time.
Wells, H. G. (2026). Tales of space and time. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-space-and-time (Original work published 1899)
Wells, H. G. Tales of Space and Time. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-space-and-time.
@book{wells2026tales,
author = {Wells, H. G.},
title = {Tales of Space and Time},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-space-and-time},
note = {First published 1899}
}
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What is Tales of Space and Time about?
It is a collection of five stories by H. G. Wells. They include a crystal that views Mars, a star that approaches Earth, a Stone Age adventure, a tale of a future city and a clerk who can work miracles.
Which stories are in Tales of Space and Time?
The collection holds The Crystal Egg, The Star, A Story of the Stone Age, A Story of the Days to Come and The Man Who Could Work Miracles. Each has its own setting, characters and mood.
Is A Story of the Days to Come a love story?
Yes, it follows Denton and Elizabeth, who marry against her father's wishes in a huge future London. Their love is tested by poverty, work and a hostile city, and the story shows how they cope.
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.
More by H. G. Wells
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