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The Man Who Could Work Miracles

H. G. Wells

First published 1899
Type Short Fiction
Length Short Story

Synopsis

<br> Fotheringay discovers that he has the ability to think miracles into existence. After receiving encouragement from his clergyman, he begins to exercise his powers to help people, until he inadvertently thinks of Joshua, promptly stopping the Earth's rotation. A major catastrophe ensues, only to be undone by Fotheringay.

Notes


First published in the 1898 Summer Number of the weekly Illustrated London News, a separately paginated annual special issue, with the subtitle "A Pantoum in Prose". Probably the subtitle appears in some publications whose database records do not report it.

See also Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936), the screen adaptation by Wells that was produced as a film in 1937.

External Links

Wikipedia librivox.org

Publications (129)

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
1899 Tales of Space and Time Harper & Brothers Collection
August 1911 The Country of the Blind and Other Stories Thomas Nelson & Sons Collection 323
August 1913 The Country of the Blind and Other Stories Thomas Nelson & Sons Collection 323
1924 Tales of the Unexpected W. Collins Sons Collection 118
1925 In the Days of the Comet and Seventeen Short Stories T. Fisher Unwin Omnibus
1925 In the Days of the Comet and Seventeen Short Stories Charles Scribner's Sons Omnibus
July 1926 Amazing Stories, July 1926 Experimenter Publishing Company MAGAZINE 312
1927 The Short Stories of H. G. Wells Ernest Benn Collection 898
1927 The Short Stories of H. G. Wells Ernest Benn Collection 898
September 1927 The Short Stories of H. G. Wells Ernest Benn Collection 898
October 1927 The Short Stories of H. G. Wells Ernest Benn Collection 898
August 1928 The Argosy, August 1928 The Amalgamated Press MAGAZINE 107
1929 The Short Stories of H. G. Wells Doubleday, Doran Collection
1929 The Famous Short Stories of H. G. Wells The Literary Guild Collection
1931 The Stolen Body and Other Tales of the Unexpected London Book Co. Collection |8
1931 The Man Who Could Work Miracles Haldeman-Julius Collection |1
1937 The Famous Short Stories of H. G. Wells Doubleday, Doran Collection 792
1938 The Famous Short Stories of H. G. Wells Garden City Publishing Co. Collection 792
1938 The Famous Short Stories of H. G. Wells Doubleday, Doran Collection 792
September 1940 Short Stories: First Series Thomas Nelson & Sons Collection 21
May 1943 The Moonlight Traveler: Great Tales of Fantasy and Imagination Doubleday, Doran Anthology 78
May 1943 The Moonlight Traveler: Great Tales of Fantasy and Imagination McClelland Anthology 78
August 1943 The Man Who Could Work Miracles Todd Publishing Co. Collection
1944 Pause to Wonder Julian Messner Anthology 502
1945 The Moonlight Traveler: Great Tales of Fantasy and Imagination Garden City Publishing Co. Anthology 67
1948 The Short Stories of H. G. Wells Ernest Benn Collection 898
1949 The Moonlight Traveller The Bodley Head Anthology 78
1952 28 Science Fiction Stories of H. G. Wells Dover Publications Collection 692
1952 The Moonlight Traveller The Bodley Head Anthology 78
1953 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection 133
1953 Seven Stories Oxford University Press Collection
1954 Tales of the Unexpected Collins Collection
1954 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection 133
September 1954 Great Tales of Fantasy and Imagination Cardinal / Pocket Books Anthology 67
September 1954 Great Tales of Fantasy and Imagination Cardinal / Pocket Books Anthology 67
1956 Two Tales A. Signorelli Collection
1957 The Short Stories of H. G. Wells Ernest Benn Collection 898
1960 28 Science Fiction Stories of H. G. Wells Dover Publications Collection 692
1960 The Short Stories of H. G. Wells Ernest Benn Collection
November 1960 The Moonlight Traveller World / WDL Books Anthology 33
1963 Best Stories of H. G. Wells Ballantine Books Collection 95
June 1963 Best Stories of H. G. Wells Ballantine Books Collection 95
September 1963 The Time Machine and Other Stories Scholastic Collection 191
1964 28 Science Fiction Stories of H. G. Wells Dover Publications Collection 692
1965 The Complete Short Stories of H. G. Wells Ernest Benn Collection
1965 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection
1965 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection
February 1965 The Inexperienced Ghost and Nine Other Stories Bantam Books Collection 140
July 1965 Great Tales of Fantasy and Imagination Washington Square Press Anthology 67
1966 Best Science Fiction Stories of H. G. Wells Dover Publications Collection |3
1966 28 Science Fiction Stories of H. G. Wells Dover Publications Collection 692
1966 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection
1966 Best Science Fiction Stories of H. G. Wells Peter Smith Publisher Collection
July 1966 The Inexperienced Ghost and Nine Other Stories Bantam Books Collection 140
September 1966 The Complete Short Stories of H. G. Wells Ernest Benn Collection 807
1968 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection
1969 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection
August 1969 The Time Machine and Other Stories Scholastic Collection 191
1970 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection 103
1973 The Oddballs Manor Books Anthology 9
March 1973 The Time Machine and Other Stories Scholastic Collection 191
1974 Science Fact/Fiction Scott, Foresman and Company Anthology 163
1974 The Complete Short Stories of H. G. Wells Ernest Benn Collection 807
1974 The Bedside Book of Strange Stories Arthur Barker Anthology 215
1974 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection 103
January 1974 Strange Adventures in Time J. M. Dent Anthology 69
1975 Is There Life on Earth? Rigby Anthology 43
1975 The Time Machine Pan Books Collection 103
February 1975 The Time Machine and Other Stories Scholastic Collection 191
1976 The Time Machine Pan Books Collection 103
1977 Fantasy Tales Faber and Faber Anthology 122
August 1977 Empire of the Ants and 8 Science Fiction Stories Tempo Books / Grosset & Dunlap Collection
September 1977 The Empire of the Ants (and Other Stories) Scholastic Collection 103
1978 Fantasy Tales Faber and Faber Anthology 122
1978 Adventure Stories for Girls Octopus Books Anthology 215
1978 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection 103
April 1978 The Collector's Book of Science Fiction by H. G. Wells Castle Books Omnibus 479
July 1978 The April Witch and Other Strange Tales Charles Scribner's Sons Anthology 130
1979 The Time Machine Pan Books Collection 103
1979 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection 103
January 1979 The Collector's Book of Science Fiction by H. G. Wells Castle Books Omnibus 479
1980 Angels and Awakenings Doubleday Anthology 153
1980 The Empire of the Ants (and Other Stories) Scholastic Collection 103
1981 Fantasy Tales Beaver Books Anthology 118
1981 The Time Machine Pan Books Collection 103
July 1981 The Collector's Book of Science Fiction by H. G. Wells Castle Books Omnibus 481
1982 Works of H. G. Wells Avenel Books Omnibus 658
December 1982 Isaac Asimov Presents the Best Fantasy of the 19th Century Beaufort Books Anthology 353
August 1986 The Collector's Book of Science Fiction by H. G. Wells Castle Books Omnibus 481
1987 The Complete Short Stories of H. G. Wells St. Martin's Press Collection 807
January 1987 The Time Machine Pan Books Chapbook 103
March 1987 The Time Machine and The Man Who Could Work Miracles Pan Books Collection 103
1988 Fiction 100: An Anthology of Short Stories Macmillan Anthology 1433
1990 Short Stories The Folio Society Collection |20
February 1992 Isaac Asimov Presents the Best Fantasy of the 19th Century Knightsbridge Anthology |15
October 1993 Alfred Hitchcock's Tales of the Supernatural and the Fantastic Smithmark Publishers Anthology 127
November 1994 Angels and Awakenings Doubleday Anthology 153
October 1996 The Country of the Blind and Other Stories Oxford University Press Collection |21
August 1998 The Complete Short Stories of H. G. Wells J. M. Dent Collection 399
2003 Man Who Could Work Miracles: A Critical Text of the 1936 New York First Edition, with an Introduction and Appendices McFarland & Company Collection |5
April 2004 The Country of the Blind and Other Stories Project Gutenberg Collection |21
July 2004 Selected Stories of H. G. Wells Modern Library Collection 243
May 2005 The Collector's Book of Science Fiction by H. G. Wells Castle Books Omnibus 479
January 2006 The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories The Echo Library Collection |21
December 2006 The Man Who Could Work Miracles Tartarus Press Collection
May 2007 The Country of the Blind and Other Selected Stories Penguin Books Collection |16
December 2007 The Country of the Blind and Other Selected Stories Penguin Books Collection 251
December 2008 Tales of Space and Time Project Gutenberg Collection |325
2009 A Dream of Armageddon: The Complete Supernatural Tales Fall River Press Collection 152
January 2009 A Dream of Armageddon Cybraria Collection
March 2010 The Country of the Blind and Other Stories Waking Lion Press Collection 213
May 2010 A Dream of Armageddon Kessinger Collection
May 2010 The Man Who Could Work Miracles and Things to Come McFarland & Company Collection
February 2011 H. G. Wells: Tales of the Weird and Supernatural Coachwhip Publications Collection
April 2011 Complete Short Story Omnibus Gollancz Collection 436
January 2013 The Country of the Blind and Other Stories CreateSpace Collection 162
July 2013 The Country of the Blind and Other Stories CreateSpace Collection 309
January 2014 Tales of Space and Time LibriVox Collection |5
January 2017 The Crystal Egg and Other Stories Wordsworth Editions Collection 49
February 2017 Short Stories: Anthology of Classic Tales Flame Tree Publishing Collection 277
2018 Short Stories: Anthology of Classic Tales Flame Tree Publishing Collection 277
March 2018 The Classic Fantasy Collection Sirius / Arcturus Publishing Anthology 283
May 2018 Tales of Space and Time Oregan Publishing Collection |5
May 2018 The Best Science Fiction Stories of H. G. Wells Dover Publications Collection 153
May 2018 The Best Science Fiction Stories of H. G. Wells Dover Publications Collection |153
December 2018 Short Stories: Anthology of Classic Tales Flame Tree Publishing Collection |22
2020 Short Stories: Anthology of Classic Tales Flame Tree Publishing Collection 277
September 2021 Tales of the Unexpected Project Gutenberg Collection |118
April 2024 Tales of Space and Time Roy Glashan's Library Collection |325