The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind was published in twenty-four fortnightly installments by George Newnes beginning in November 1919, collected into two volumes in 1920, and became one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century — over two million copies sold in Wells’s lifetime alone. It was an audacious project: a single author’s attempt to tell the entire story of human civilization, from the origins of the solar system to the Treaty of Versailles, in a continuous narrative accessible to the general reader.
The Book
Wells wrote The Outline of History in the aftermath of World War I, driven by the conviction that the catastrophe had been caused partly by the narrowness of national histories. If people understood that human civilization was a single story — that all peoples were connected, that borders were recent and arbitrary, that nationalism was a disease — they might be less willing to slaughter each other. The book was explicitly political: a weapon against the tribal thinking that Wells believed had produced the war.
The narrative begins with the formation of the Earth, moves through the evolution of life, the rise of human societies, the ancient empires, the religions, the Middle Ages, the European expansion, the industrial revolution, and the world wars. Wells writes with clarity, energy, and strong opinions: he has heroes (Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon — but only sometimes) and villains (the Catholic Church, most monarchs, nationalist politicians of all kinds).
Professional historians attacked the book — Hilaire Belloc wrote a detailed rebuttal — for its inaccuracies, its anti-Catholic bias, and its amateur status. But the public embraced it. For millions of readers between the wars, The Outline of History was their first encounter with world history as a unified narrative.
Themes
Internationalism — the book’s fundamental argument is that humanity is one species with one history, and that national borders and ethnic distinctions are artificial and destructive.
Progress — Wells believed in progress: not inevitable progress, but progress achievable through education, science, and rational governance. The Outline tells human history as a story of slow, painful advancement.
Education — the book was intended as education for democracy. Wells believed that an informed citizenry was the only defense against demagogues.
Collecting The Outline of History
First edition in parts (George Newnes, London, 1919–1920): 24 fortnightly parts in wrappers. Complete sets: $500–$1,500.
First edition in book form (George Newnes, London, 1920): Two volumes, blue cloth. $300–$800 for the set.
Revised editions (1931, 1940, 1949, 1961 — each with substantial revisions): $50–$200 per set depending on edition and condition.
The book’s enormous print runs make true first editions less rare than Wells’s scientific romances, but the work’s historical significance ensures steady collector interest.