Certain Personal Matters

Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 317K words
Chapters: 32

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Certain Personal Matters by H. G. Wells. Author: Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946. Language: English. Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature. Release Date: Jan 12, 2006

Editor's review

Certain Personal Matters is a collection of essays by Wells, gathering light pieces written around everyday life and personal observation. Unlike his widely known science fiction, this book shows him as an ordinary man reflecting with sensitivity and humor on the things around him; the tone is relaxed and the pieces are short, well suited to reading in fragments. Most of the discussions concern daily trifles and personal interests, through which readers can see a more approachable, more domestic Wells. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, the original English text is freely available, making it a useful supplementary read for understanding Wells's non-fiction and a suitable extensive-reading material for English learners. Note that this is the original English edition and that the content tends toward occasional essays rather than systematic argument; readers should browse it lightly and not expect plot or rigorous reasoning.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like H. G. Wells and want to know his non-science-fiction work
Readers who prefer short essays and read in scattered moments
Learners with some English reading ability looking for public-domain extensive-reading material
Readers interested in early twentieth-century English essays on daily life

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting the plot of a Wells science fiction novel
Readers with weak English who need a Chinese translation
Readers seeking systematic intellectual argument

Reading tips

Read piece by piece as you please, one or two at a time; there is no need to read straight through.
Guess unfamiliar words from context first and look them up together after finishing a piece, so as to keep your reading rhythm.
You may keep Wells's historical context in mind and notice the everyday attitudes and details of life reflected in the essays.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a science fiction novel by Wells?

No. This is a collection of essays by Wells on personal life and everyday observation, light in tone and different from his science fiction. Adjust your expectations before reading and take it as occasional pieces that reveal another side of the author.

Is there a Chinese translation of this book?

Available information shows that this is an English public-domain eBook released by Project Gutenberg, in English. No Chinese translation is mentioned in the materials; if you need a Chinese version, please look for one separately. This book is better suited to readers with English reading ability.

Can it be used as English-learning material?

It can be used as extensive-reading material. This is a collection of English essays, fairly short and relatively plain in language. But it was written long ago and some expressions carry the flavor of their time; aim mainly at understanding the general meaning rather than weighing every word, and skip difficulties for now.

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About the author

Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946 Author

H. G. Wells (Herbert George, 1866–1946) was a renowned British author best known for his science fiction and socially engaged works. The collection holds 76 of his works, including The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Red Room, and The Door in the Wall, and Other Stories, as well as the historical survey The Outline of History. His science fiction often starts from scientific premises and explores technological loss of control, human weakness, and social crisis, with bold imagination and clear narration; The Outline of History reflects his approachable, well-structured writing for general readers. Public information is limited, so biographical details are not elaborated here, but his works show a mastery of novels, short stories, and popular history, and his influence on later science fiction is profound.