New Worlds for Old

H. G. Wells's New Worlds for Old is a brisk, provocative introduction to modern socialism, written to meet fear with argument and slogans with practical thought. From the condition of schoolchildren and the misery of the homeless to the pressures on the middle class, Wells shows a society already strained by neglect, inequality, and waste. A walk along the Thames Embankment, where London's grandeur is shadowed by sleeping vagrants, becomes a moral challenge: if the world is so rich, why is it so cruel? Wells presents socialism as order, knowledge, and planned cooperation, not chaos or confiscation. He argues that social progress, like scientific progress, depends on shared effort and intelligent design, and that reform must address property, the home, class, government, education, transport, and public services. He also answers common objections with wit, exposing the habit of treating complex issues in crude absolutes. For Wells, socialism is a gradual, evolving force that can improve business, strengthen public life, and offer the middle class a future more secure than plutocracy. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.