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Post by SGirl on Aug 9, 2004 12:07:23 GMT
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Post by Charles on Aug 9, 2004 13:34:58 GMT
I've never seen any of the unedited manuscripts (there are a few parts to it) posted online. Having read the original manuscripts myself - or at least as much as can be deciphered from Wells's notorious chicken-scratch penmanship, it really isn't advisable to post much of it. For instance, some of it was crossed through or scratched out; other bits were circled and moved, inserted, etc. This stuff is interesting from the perspective of how the story evolved and the insight it provides into what Wells was aiming for with his story, but beyond this, these are just bits that Wells thought were unnecessary or detractive...and I agree with him. Happily, the best selections are included in the Hughes and Geduld annotated edition. Thanks for posting that URL SGirl, that's the CD.
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Post by Killraven on Aug 9, 2004 16:56:07 GMT
Yeah, cheers sgirl, I'll have to look into whether they'll send the CD to the UK or not... Re the original manuscript - I'd always had it in my head of Wells tapping away on a 'pinging' typewriter... ..never crossed my mind that he might get someone to type it up for him...
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Post by Charles on Aug 9, 2004 17:14:13 GMT
Wells wrote everything long hand, then had Jane interpret and type up his apocalyptic handwriting. Not to mention do a bit of editing. After she died in 1927, his daughter-in-law got the 'honor.'
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Xav
Full Member
Rules are for the obeyance of Fools and the guidance of wise Men
Posts: 119
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Post by Xav on May 1, 2005 0:03:46 GMT
I always thought that the Artillerymans ideas were substantially sound. I dont think that the Martians would have long tolerated picking over houses for a feed, when clearly there is a lot more sense in farming humanity.
I am not really going to bother trying to calculate the number of 'feeds' your average Martian would want in a week, say, having no knowledge of how long blood stays a viable nutrient carrier. But I am sure that it has to come from a healthy, happy, big and beautiful human, specially bred, no doubt. Definitely would not want half starved and anaemic refugees.
Musing a little about this...To get a rough ball-park figure....it may be that one Martian may need one human a day, or the blood equivalent, So from any human population, there has to be a replacement at roughly the same consumption rate. Further assuming a growth rate of say 10% pa in a human farm population, it looks as if a colony of 1000 Martians would need something like a farm population of 4,000,000 humans.
Now, that is entirely viable. I dont know what the population of Britain was a century back...maybe 25 million? Clearly the mass extermination of humans is not on as they would need good stock to be the basis of the ranches down in the south and west, where it is mostly a little warmer and more comfortable. They may leave Wales and the far North alone, being mostly difficult country.
Eventually, the wild humans would be left largely alone, as long as they were no bother and behaved themselves. Perhaps they would be hunted for sport now and again or caught for experiments or to put a fresh shot into the human gene pool.
In the meantime, the Martians would become farmers and livestock experts...the humans in the farms would need feeding, of course. And so, I wonder what the balance would be, if it was balance, between the two species? Would wild humanity play a waiting game, hiding, training, becoming leaner and meaner and tougher and more resolute? Never bothering the Martians, but making sure that everything possible was learned about them?
And the Martians? They would presumably be preparing to war on the European continent, but all element of surprise would have gone and the German and French armies would surely be prepared much better than the British were.
When the Martians launched their war on Europe, then perhaps the Wild Humans in Scotland and Wales would descend on the farms, first, turning out the fat human cattle, then upon the Martians themselves.
During the course of the last couple of days, I wondered what the role of Commandoes might be in this war. I dont think there were any such thing in the British army in those days, but their experience in fighting all over the world would quite possibly alert their minds to the value of such covert operations. I think that a dozen well trained men, armed with bows and knives could do a lot of damage to a quiet Martian outpost....
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Post by BrutalDeluxe on May 2, 2005 0:37:45 GMT
Is that an Eddie Izzard quote I see there Happy Chappy? The man is a legend.
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Post by Lensman on May 3, 2005 19:29:21 GMT
I've been told the text of the Pearson's serial is available online somewhere, but just now in an Internet search I can't find it. Can anyone point me to this?
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Post by Gnorn on May 3, 2005 20:38:49 GMT
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Post by Marcus on May 16, 2005 14:44:56 GMT
Is it me, or could this be the ORIGINAL ENDING Speilberg mentions his film will follow?
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Post by mctoddridesagain on May 17, 2005 12:57:49 GMT
Happily, the best selections are included in the Hughes and Geduld annotated edition. Charles, thanks for mentioning the Hughes & Geduld edition, I wasn't previously aware of it, but have happily just ordered a copy!
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Post by Charles on May 17, 2005 17:44:49 GMT
You're welcome. H & G's is the most comprehensive edition I know. Having been to the Wells archive twice and gone through the "Worlds" manuscripts and copy texts myself, believe me, this edition represents something very special indeed.
There are many others out there (I like the Danahay and Stover editions, too) and each has its strengths and weaknesses, but this edition is the most exhaustive.
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Post by lanceradvanced on May 17, 2005 19:26:33 GMT
>Musing a little about this...To get a rough ball-park figure....it may be that one Martian may >need one human a day, or the blood equivalent
The figure may be signifigantly lower, the martians only brought 2-3 of their food bipeds with them in each cylinder, to last the journey, and the narrator only really discusses 2 feedings that he watched, each one on a difftent night, Onece they landed the martians also apparently went without for a couple of days, only having the one shop keeper, untill they emergedfrom the pit, of hand I'd say 1/5 of a human perday, or mebbe one a week, if they earch eat a whole (of course if they're -breeding) they may go on feeding spurts for the extra mass)
The rate at which the martians were picking up people (100 in a night, at picidilly) versus the rate at which they were apparently consuming them, makes me think they were stocking thier ranches allready...
But then again, when the narrator climbed primrose hill, he didn't enconter any escappes from thier pens, or mention them in the aftermath (mebbe the martians wiped them out as while dying though.. )..
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