H G Wells

The First Men in the Moon Annotated H G Wells

The First Men in the Moon is a scientific romance by the English author H. G. Wells, originally serialized in The Strand Magazine from December 1900 to August 1901 and published in hardcover in 1901 who called it one of his "fantastic stories". The narrator is a London businessman named Bedford who withdraws to the countryside to write a play, by which he hopes to alleviate his financial problems. He is bothered every afternoon, however, at precisely the same time, by a passer-by making odd noises. After two weeks Bedford accosts the man, who proves to be a reclusive physicist named Mr. Cavort. Bedford befriends Cavort when he learns he is developing a new material, favorite, which can negate the force of gravity.. His final fate is unknown, but Bedford is sure that "we shall never... receive another message from the moon".