Over the Rainbow: Tales of Fantasy and Imagination

by H.G. Wells, Ursula K. Le Guin, E. Nesbit

Stories The Truth about Pyecraft by H. G. Wells, Warriors in the Mist by Ursula Le Guin, The Cats The Cow and The Burglar by E. Nesbit, Dr. Dolittle's Reward by Hugh Lofting, The White-Haired Children by Ruth Ainsworth, Harriet's Hairloom by Joan Aiken, The Way Out by Mary Norton, Riddles in the Dark by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving, The Lion and the Unicorn by Lewis Carroll, The Wind on the Moon by Eric Linklater, By Caldron Pool by C. S. Lewis, A Ring of Stones by Alan Garner, Particle Goes Green by Helen Cresswell, and Escape to the Emerald City by L. Frank Baum.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Short Stories

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Herbert George Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scholarship in 1884, to study biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science. Wells earned his bachelor of science and doctor of science degrees at the University of London. After marrying his cousin, Isabel, Wells began to supplement his teaching salary with short stories and freelance articles, then books, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).

Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.

He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.

More: http://philosopedia.org/index.php/H._...

http://www.online-literature.com/well...

http://www.hgwellsusa.50megs.com/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am disappointed. I was expecting short stories from the selected authors, but what I got was a chapter out of each author's larger books. It felt a bit like reading a very long back cover of each book and I was never happy with the "endings" (as they weren't quite endings and only beginnings) and the stories all end quite unexpectantly. I think the only possible way this collection might be interesting is if you were wondering if any of the included authors were worth reading. But then you're already reading them, so I find it to be an entire waste of time.

I have, however, discovered that I would indeed like to read The Phantom Tollbooth. I've had it recommended to me many-a time and now I know why.

Also, I always thought those two characters on the cover looked remarkably like Bilbo and Gollum.

[Ken Bickley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book of fantasy stories for children (ostensibly) is NOT by H. G. Wells. The editor goes un-credited; the first story is by Wells. It's a fun read, including stories by C. S. Lewis (from Narnia), Tolkien (from "The Hobbit") and Baum (from "The Wonderful Land of Oz") as well as other less-well-known authors. If you like whimsical fantasy, or just like to re-live childhood memories, you will enjoy it too.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really frustrated me. Some of the stories are quite good, but few of them are standalone tales; instead, they are single (and sometimes SO ill-chosen) chapters from works by well-known authors. Of the 16 entries in the collection, only 5 were not excerpts of other stories. Nearly all of the original books would rate 4 or 5 stars, but these disembodied snippets from them do not. This was saved from a 1-star rating because I already love so many of the included authors, and was introduced to a few that I really liked.

This collection should have been clearly titled as a sampler or somehow indicated that it wasn’t an anthology of individual stories; there’s no introduction, foreword, or preface to clue you in, and the page headers name the chapter titles rather than the original books they come from. Only the table of contents notes which are excerpts.

I know I wouldn’t have enjoyed the chapters by Tolkien, Le Guin, C.S. Lewis, Baum, and Carroll all that much if I hadn’t already known and loved the books they came from, not to mention having the benefit of context. I liked most of the excerpts by authors new to me, but the inclusion of so many unfamiliar elements/characters without the explanations that would have been in the original stories (not to mention the arbitrary endings!) was extremely frustrating.

The best: I really liked the excerpts by Mary Norton and Alan Garner, and want to read more from them. Of the complete stories, I especially liked “The White-haired Children;” it was haunting and lovely.

The worst: “By Caldron Pool” from C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle—It started with a lot of unpleasantness, got even worse, and finally ended on a truly awful note with no resolution whatsoever. The worst choice for an excerpt I’ve ever seen. It upset me so much that even as a Narnia fan, I wish I hadn’t read it at all.

[Cindy Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to classic fantasy books-encourages young readers to read the books featured.

[Melissa Jacobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

This was a fun bind-up of random stories and I enjoyed it! It wasn't brilliant but it was fun and I had fun reading it.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of short and abridged stories. For the young and young at heart