Select Conversations with an Uncle, published in 1895, was H.G. Wells' first literary publication in book form. It consists of reports of twelve conversations with a fictional witty uncle, who has returned to London from South Africa with "a certain affluence," as well as two other conversations (one on aestheticism that takes place in a train, entitled "A Misunderstood Artist," and another on physiognomy, entitled "The Man with a Nose").

Select Conversations with an Uncle, published in 1895, was H.G. Wells's first literary publication in book form. It consists of reports of twelve conversations between a fictional witty uncle who has returned to London from South Africa with "a certain affluence," as well as two other conversations (one on aestheticism that takes place in a train, entitled "A Misunderstood Artist," and another on physiognomy, entitled "The Man with a Nose"). CONTENTS: 1. Of Conversation And The Anatomy Of Fashion 2. The Theory Of The Perpetual Discomfort Of Humanity 3. The Use Of Ideals 4. The Art Of Being Photographed 5. Bagshot's Mural Decorations 6. On Social Music 7. The Joys Of Being Engaged 8. La Belle Dame Sans Merci 9. On A Tricycle 10. An Unsuspected Masterpiece 11. The Great Change 12. The Pains Of Marriage Other Reminiscences 1. A Misunderstood Artist 2. The Man With A Nose Herbert George "H. G." Wells (1866 – 1946) was an English writer, 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 textbooks and rules for war games.

Insightful biographical sketches of major historical figures of the twentieth century, from the incomparable British statesman. Winston S. Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on the strength of “his mastery of historical and biographical description.” Nowhere is that mastery more evident than in Great Contemporaries—which features Churchill’s profiles of many of the major figures of his time. These short biographies cover political and cultural personalities ranging from Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Lawrence of Arabia, and Leon Trotsky to Charlie Chaplin, H. G. Wells, Rudyard Kipling, and George Bernard Shaw. This edition includes five previously uncollected essays and a number of photographs, plus an enlightening introduction and annotations by noted Churchill scholar James W. Muller. Written in the decade before Churchill became prime minister, these essays focus on the challenges of statecraft at a time when the democratic revolution was toppling older regimes based on tradition and aristocratic privilege. Churchill’s keen observations take on new importance in our own age of roiling political change. Ultimately, Great Contemporaries provides fascinating insight into these subjects as Churchill approaches them with a measuring eye, finding their limitations at least as revealing as their merits.