English novelist and social commentator, chiefly known as a founder of the science fiction genre. His early novels, called "scientific romances", invented a number of themes now classic in science fiction in such works as The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds and are often thought of as being influenced by the works of Jules Verne. He also wrote other, non-fantastic novels which have received critical acclaim, including the satire on Edwardian advertising Tono-Bungay and Kipps. Wells also wrote non-fiction. His classic two-volume work The Outline of History [1920] set a new standard and direction for popularised scholarship.