Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.

In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted 'Top Tens' across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?

The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.

Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.

In the canon of literature one British author is instantly recognizable across several genres for his many classics. In this volume H G Wells once more demonstrates, across a range of short stories, that his fabled talents remain undimmed.

A Spring Harvest

Geoffrey Bache Smith was born in Staffordshire on 18th October 1894.

He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham at the same time as J.R.R. Tolkien, where they founded the literary "Tea Cup and Barovian Society".

Geoffrey was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 19th (Service) Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers, the '3rd Salford Pals', and took part in the Battle of the Somme.

He was wounded by shrapnel on 29th November 1916 and died from his wounds on 3rd December 1916.

He was buried in Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery, Saulty, France.

1 - The Top 10 - H G Wells - An Introduction

2 - The Magic Shop by H G Wells

3 - The Man Who Could Work Miracles by H G Wells

4 - The Flowering of the Strange Orchid by H G Wells

5 - The Stolen Bacillus by H G Wells

6 - The Cone by H G Wells

7 - Aepyornis Island by H G Wells

8 - The Sea Raiders by H G Wells

9 - The Crystal Egg by H G Wells

10 - The Valley of Spiders by H G Wells

11 - A Dream of Armageddon - Part 1 by H G Wells

12 - A Dream of Armageddon - Part 2 by H G Wells