Certain Personal Matters


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.3 stars; 13 reviews)

Although best known for his works of science fiction, social commentary and history, H.G. Wells here gives us humorous and light-hearted pieces on a wide variety of intriguing topics from chess to death. Each essay is a gem of wit and delight. - Summary by Larry Wilson (6 hr 23 min)

Chapters

Thoughts on Cheapness and My Aunt Charlotte 10:19 Read by Foon
The Trouble of Life 13:30 Read by Larry Wilson
On the Choice of a Wife 8:47 Read by Foon
The House of Di Sorno 10:18 Read by D. Wood
Of Conversation 11:31 Read by Scotty Smith
In a Literary Household 8:40 Read by Graham Scott
On Schooling and the Phases of Mr. Sandsome 13:43 Read by Elisabeth
The Poet and the Emporium 10:01 Read by Graham Scott
The Language of Flowers 9:12 Read by Graham Scott
The Literary Regimen 9:36 Read by Graham Scott
House-Hunting as an Outdoor Amusement 11:15 Read by Greg Giordano
Of Blades and Bladery 9:48 Read by Greg Giordano
Of Cleverness 9:35 Read by Greg Giordano
The Pose Novel 9:20 Read by GentleJim
The Veteran Cricketer 10:56 Read by Graham Scott
Concerning a Certain Lady 10:50 Read by Greg Giordano
The Shopman 8:16 Read by Melody Khoriaty
The Book of Curses 10:06 Read by Graham Scott
Dunstone’s Dear Lady 8:40 Read by Graham Scott
Euphemia’s New Entertainment 7:47 Read by Greg Giordano
For Freedom of Spelling 11:58 Read by Foon
Incidental Thoughts on a Bald Head 9:03 Read by Greg Giordano
Of a Book Unwritten 14:56 Read by D. Wood
The Extinction of Man 12:05 Read by Greg Giordano
The Writing of Essays 7:21 Read by Larry Wilson
The Parkes Museum 9:01 Read by Greg Giordano
Bleak March in Epping Forest 7:30 Read by Rowan Etzel
The Theory of Quotation 7:00 Read by Greg Giordano
Of the Art of Staying at the Seaside 10:47 Read by Graham Scott
Concerning Chess 10:22 Read by Larry Wilson
The Coal-Scuttle 10:25 Read by Graham Scott
Bagarrow 11:09 Read by Keir
The Book of Essays Dedicatory 5:55 Read by D. Wood
Through a Microscope 9:27 Read by Rowan Etzel
The Pleasure of Quarrelling 11:30 Read by Greg Giordano
The Amateur Nature-Lover 10:30 Read by Christopher Lawson
From an Observatory 5:24 Read by Melody Khoriaty
The Mode in Monuments 10:24 Read by GentleJim
How I Died 6:33 Read by Larry Wilson

Reviews

what a wonderful inventive mind HG had . The stories flow.


(4.5 stars)

Wells failed the diversity test


(5 stars)

Written from a western heteronotmative viewpoint that necessarily excludes voices from marginalized LatinX Americans. Wells needs to rewrite the stories to orbit around the phlight of a nonbinary LatinX guest worker being separated from their Mother by a heteronotmative white male. Then this story will become an instant classic. Barring the rewrite, the story remains problematically raycyst.

Great comedy!


(4.5 stars)

Of course, as Dr Raycyst says (although without the obvious sarcasm), Wells doesn't have very diverse pieces of humor here. While they are funny, they clearly reveal the sexism of his days.