Herbert George Wells (1866 - 1946) was an English writer and pioneer of science fiction literature. He was also a historian and sociologist and wrote such books as The History of Our World, which had a print run of millions. He had his greatest successes with the two science fiction novels (described by himself as "scientific romances") The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. Wells is best known for his science fiction books, but he has also written numerous realistic novels that remain popular in the English-speaking world.