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The History of Mr. Polly
Hardcover
HumorClassic FictionLiterary Fiction
ISBN13: 9781025360812
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 248
Weight: 1.16
Height: 0.63 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The History of Mr. Polly is a masterful comic novel by H.G. Wells that captures the struggles and eventual liberation of the ordinary man. The story centers on Alfred Polly, an imaginative but socially trapped draper's assistant who finds himself suffocated by a dull career and a loveless marriage. Wells vividly portrays the mundane realities of lower-middle-class life in Edwardian England, using Mr. Polly's idiosyncratic personality and unique vocabulary to provide both humor and poignant social commentary.
Driven to a point of existential crisis, the protagonist makes a desperate and transformative decision to break free from his constraints. His journey leads him to the Potwell Inn, where he finally finds a sense of belonging and purpose as a handyman. The History of Mr. Polly stands as one of Wells's most beloved works, celebrated for its warm humanity, satirical wit, and the enduring hope that it is never too late to reinvent one's life. This work remains a classic exploration of the search for happiness amidst the rigid structures of society.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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