Mr. Belloc objects to "The outline of history"

When the celebrated writer H. G. Wells released his richly illustrated Outline of History in the mid‑1920s, it sparked a ferocious response from the Catholic essayist Hilaire Belloc. Belloc launched a relentless, fortnightly campaign of criticism, accusing Wells of hostility toward the Church and of distorting scientific and theological truths. In this volume, Wells gathers his own counter‑articles, originally offered to Catholic periodicals, and presents a measured yet sharp defense of his narrative of humanity’s past.

The collection offers a vivid glimpse into a bygone era of public debate, where ideas were aired in the pages of newspapers and the stakes were as much about faith as about facts. Wells’s prose is clear and often wry, exposing misquotations while laying out the principles behind his sweeping synthesis of history. Listeners will enjoy a thoughtful, well‑argued exchange that illuminates the cultural tensions of the time without venturing beyond the opening act of this intellectual duel.