The British writer H. G. Wells is sometimes called “the father of science fiction.” His first novel, The Time Machine—a thrilling adventure story, full of mystery, suspense, and narrow escapes—was so successful that Wells quickly went on to write more works of science fiction that remain popular to this day, including The War of the Worlds and The Invisible Man. The main character of The Time Machine, an inventor known simply as the Time Traveler, leaps past the year 800,000. In this distant future, the Time Traveler encounters a green and peaceful world where all the needs of the people seem to be mysteriously taken care of—but the mystery reveals a dark vision of the possible destiny of humankind.

This Core Classics® edition of The Time Machine is abridged and adapted for young readers. Some passages have been left out of the original text, and some have been rewritten to make them more readily understandable. The book includes many helpful notes and a brief biography of the author.

The Core Classics® series presents stories loved for generations in abridged versions for young readers, illustrated and annotated, and faithful to the style, plot, and themes of the originals.