The Time Machine

The Time Machine, an Invention 
H.G. Wells 
New York: H. Holt, 1895 
Central Library 
Vanderbilt University Libraries

H.G. Wells’ novella The Time Machine introduces a new invention: a machine capable of carrying a traveler to any point in time one desires. While not the first to use time travel as a theme, Wells was the first to propose a “time machine” as a physical invention. The popularity of the novella helped make the theme of time travel by means of a physical device a popular feature of science fiction tales. Wells’ projection of the consequences of inequality and urban decay on the evolution of the human species highlights the fragile nature of civilization.