An Englishman Looks at the World
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1914 |
| Founder | H. G. Wells |
| Products | Essay collection |
An Englishman Looks at the World is a compilation of essays by H. G. Wells, published in 1914, which gathers journalistic writings produced between 1909 and 1914. This volume contains twenty-six essays, with lengths varying from five to sixty-two pages. In the same year, Harper and Brothers released an American edition under the title Social Forces in England and America.
Wells organized the essays around central themes, offering an introductory overview that positions the collection as a cohesive argument. It begins with Blériot's pioneering flight and its consequences for transportation, then proceeds to examine subjects including monarchy, imperialism, labor dynamics, socialism, contemporary warfare, literary culture, public libraries, social critique, urban challenges, sociology, divorce laws, education systems, motherhood, healthcare, specialization in professions, national identity, political issues, population trends, prospects for civilization, ideals of citizenship, scientific advancements, and ultimately culminates with reflections on the broader human condition.
Background
These essays illustrate Wells's transition from fiction writing to journalism in the period preceding World War I. During this time, he increasingly contributed articles to widely read outlets such as the Daily Mail. Among these is "The Labour Unrest," a substantial 44-page essay originally serialized in 1912 for the Daily Mail at the behest of Lord Northcliffe; it attracted considerable attention by proposing a comprehensive national strategy to combat social deterioration.
Included in the collection are pieces like "My First Flight," which narrates Wells's 1912 journey aboard a Farman seaplane piloted by Claude Graham-White; "The Great State," which foreshadows ideas later developed in The Outline of History; and "The So-Called Science of Sociology," where Wells challenges sociology’s scientific validity due to the difficulty of applying quantitative methods to unique individual behaviors.