The War of the Worlds: From H. G. Wells to Orson Welles, Jeff Wayne, Steven Spielberg and Beyond

Author:   Professor Peter J. Beck (Kingston University, UK)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN:  

9781474229883


Pages:   408
Publication Date:   25 August 2016
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
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The War of the Worlds: From H. G. Wells to Orson Welles, Jeff Wayne, Steven Spielberg and Beyond


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Overview

First published in 1897, H.G. Wells’s alien invasion narrative The War of the Worlds was a landmark work of science fiction and one that continues to be adapted and referenced in the 21st century. Chronicling the novel’s contexts, its origins and its many multi-media adaptations, this book is a complete biography of the life – and the afterlives – of The War of the Worlds. Exploring the original text’s compelling sense of place and vivid recreation of Wells’s Woking home and the concerns of fin-de-siécle Britain, the book goes on to chart the novel’s immediate international impact. Starting with the initial serialisations in US newspapers, Peter Beck goes on to examine Orson Welles’s legendary 1938 radio adaptation, TV and film adaptations from George Pal to Steven Spielberg, Jeff Wayne’s rock opera and the numerous other works that have taken their inspiration from Wells’s original. Drawing on new archival research, this is a comprehensive account of the continuing impact of The War of the Worlds.

Full Product Details

Author:   Professor Peter J. Beck (Kingston University, UK)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.40cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.744kg
ISBN:  

9781474229883


ISBN 10:   1474229883
Pages:   408
Publication Date:   25 August 2016
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

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Reviews

This history of a classic novel, traced from the first inspiration through to twenty-first-century adaptations, is also an engaging portrait of the young Wells in the crucial year he spent at Woking: the year he drafted the book, established his literary career, founded modern science fiction - and, given the impact of Wells's work, the year that changed history. Accessible, authoritative and engaging: this is an unmissable traveller's guide to the World of H.G. Wells's War. Stephen Baxter, President of the British Science Fiction Association, and a Vice-President of the HG Wells Society


This history of a classic novel, traced from the first inspiration through to twenty-first-century adaptations, is also an engaging portrait of the young Wells in the crucial year he spent at Woking: the year he drafted the book, established his literary career, founded modern science fiction - and, given the impact of Wells's work, the year that changed history. Accessible, authoritative and engaging: this is an unmissable traveller's guide to the World of H.G. Wells's War. Stephen Baxter, President of the British Science Fiction Association, and a Vice-President of the HG Wells Society If you want to discover how HG Wells created The War of the Worlds, how others have refashioned it for different times and media, and how a 'scientific romance' reshaped our collective imaginations, Peter Beck's treasure trove of a book has the answers - a clear, reliable, fascinating study. Dr Michael Sherborne, author of HG Wells: Another Kind of Life H. G. Wells is one of the great modern myth-makers, and The War of the Worlds is his most terrifying vision of future warfare. Peter Beck's richly rewarding study traces Wells's story from its origins in the 1890s to its current status as cinema classic and multi-media icon. This book is both a mine of information and a pleasure to read. Patrick Parrinder, Emeritus Professor, University of Reading


Author Information

Peter J. Beck is Emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Kingston, UK. His previous publications include Presenting History: Past and Present (2012).

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