From MCCONNELL 259: "in Greek myth, a pre-Olympian giant with fifty heads and a hundred hands."

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 220: "In Greek mythology Briareus was a giant with fifty heads and a hundred hands."

From STOVER 210: "Briareus, in Greek mythology, is a giant with fifty heads and a hundred hands. The Martians' robotic Handling Machines are the multiplex hands of their guiding heads--one giant in their common purpose."

From DANAHAY 156: "in mythology, a monster with a hundred hands"

More information:

• Entry on Briareus on the Encyclopædia Britannica's website

From MCCONNELL 257: "A jumble of Biblical allusions, probably the most important of which is to Isaiah 63:3, an image of apocalypse or the vengeance of God."

From DANAHAY 155: (re just "The Wine Press of God") See Isaiah 63:3.

From MCCONNELL 236: "the Roman city on the Bay of Naples, completely buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D."

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 216: "The eruption of Mount Vesuvius near Naples on August 24, A.D. 79 buried the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum under thousands of tons of volcanic ash and lava, killing some 20,000 inhabitants."

From DANAHAY 136: "The Roman city of Pompeii was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 79 A.D. Archaeologists found citizens of Pompeii who had been overcome by the ash from the eruption preserved where they had fallen."

More information:

• Article on Pompeii on the Ancient History Encyclopedia site

From MCCONNELL 168: "A district in central England, also called the 'Five Towns,' famous for its pottery and china factories. The area was a favorite subject of Wells's friend, the novelist Arnold Bennett (1867-1931)."

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 208: The "five towns" MCCONNELL refers to are Stoke-on-Trent, Hanley, Burslem, Tunstall, and Longton. In 1888 Wells spent three months in the Potteries region.

From DANAHAY 80: "an area of central England with a large number of china factories and their furnaces"

From DANAHAY 75: church bells ringing

GANGNES: Which is to say, the church bells rang in such a way that indicated the time was midnight.

From DANAHAY 41: Reference to a Victorian debate regarding the existence of intelligent life on Mars. See Wells's article "Intelligence on Mars" in the Saturday Review 8 (April 4, 1896), p. 345-46.

More information:

• Facsimile on HathiTrust of "Intelligence on Mars" in the Saturday Review (1896)

From DANAHAY 41: Wells was interested in the microscope to the point where he visited a microscope factory for his article "Through a Microscope."

More information:

• Facsimile on The Internet Archive of H.G. Wells's "Through a Microscope: Some Moral Reflections" in Certain Personal Matters: A collection of Materials, Mainly Autobiographical (1897)

From MCCONNELL 286: "growing rotten or decayed"

From DANAHAY 179: rotting

From DANAHAY 180: recklessness

From MCCONNELL 288: fortification

From DANAHAY 181: "a fort put up before a battle to protect troops and artillery"

From MCCONNELL 289: "'The Destruction of Sennacherib' is the title of one of the most famous poems of Lord Byron (1788-1824). In II Kings: 19 it is related how the Assyrian King Sennacherib brought a great army to war against the Israelites; but, thanks to the prayers of the Israelites, the Lord killed Sennacherib's whole army in a single night. The legend has an obvious relevance to the sudden, total, and unhoped-for obliteration of the Martian invaders."

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 224: "In a single night, in answer to the prayers of the Israelites, God destroyed the Assyrian army led by King Sennacherib (II Kings 19:35-37). This is the subject of Byron's celebrated poem 'the Destruction of Sennacherib'."

From DANAHAY 182: "reference to II Kings: 19 in which an entire army is wiped out by God in one night"

From DANAHAY 182: "the birds form circular patterns like a halo"

From DANAHAY 187: "light cavalry, named after the fifteenth-century Hungarian units on which they were modeled"

From MCCONNELL 298: "At conjunction, the Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the Sun."

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 225: "Mars and Earth are in (superior) conjunction, and farthest from each other, when they are lined up with the sun between them; they are in opposition, and closest to each other, when they are lined up with Earth between Mars and the sun."

From DANAHAY 189: "It is far away from earth, but will be 'in opposition' again."

From DANAHAY 190: "having to do with the stars"

From DANAHAY 191: "to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and often foolishly"

From MCCONNELL 244: "Like the tympanum, the vibrating membrane of the middle ear."

From DANAHAY 143: "A tympan is a drum, so the Martian skin here is like a drum."

From DANAHAY 144: "The Martians are all brain, in keeping with Wells's theory that the bodies of 'advanced' creatures would atrophy through disuse."

From DANAHAY 144: "a small glass tube used by chemists to move liquid from one area to another"

From DANAHAY 145: "Wells himself suffered from liver problems."

From MCCONNELL 245: "growing in silica-rich soil, crystalline"

From DANAHAY 145: "crystalline, made of silica or sand"

From DANAHAY 145: "the bulbs of a lily that reproduce by budding off from each other through the process of fission, a form of asexual reproduction"

From MCCONNELL 246: "a sedentary marine animal with a fixed base like a plant, and sensitive tendrils (palp) around its mouth with which it snares its prey"

From DANAHAY 145: "a sedentary type of animal form characterized by a more or less fixed base, columnar body, and free end with mouth and tentacles"

From MCCONNELL 246: "marine animals with saclike bodies and two protruding openings for the ingestion and expulsion of water (their means of locomotion)"

From STOVER 190: "The Tunicates ... are Sea Squirts, belonging to the Urchordata, a subphylum of chordata or 'vertebrated animals [to which they are] first cousins.'"

From DANAHAY 146: "a subspecies of sea animals that have saclike bodies and minimal digestive systems"

From DANAHAY 147: bright red

From MCCONNELL 249: "Otto Lilienthal (1848-1896), German engineer, was the chief developer of glider flight."

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 219: "German engineer Otto Lilienthal (1848-1896) was one of the pioneers of man-bearing gliders."

From DANAHAY 148: "gliders invented by Otto Lilienthal (1849-1896), a German engineer"

From MCCONNELL 258: "a very large kettle, usually made of iron; a common feature of kitchens at the turn of the century"

From DANAHAY 155: a large kettle

From DANAHAY 161: fertility

From DANAHAY 161: "quench, to drink until no longer thirsty"

From MCCONNELL 283: "the area [of London] north of the Thames, from the Tower of London on the East to St. Paul's Cathedral on the west, enclosed within the original walls of London"

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 223 and 228: "On Sundays stores and businesses in the City of London are closed, and as the area is largely nonresidential, few people are to be seen." The City is "London's commercial and financial center, north of the Thames between the Temple (on the west) and Aldgate Pump (on the east). The Bank of England and the Royal Exchange are situated in The City."

From DANAHAY 177: "the central part of London that contains many important financial and governmental buildings that would normally be closed on a Sunday"

From DANAHAY 134: "Flight was still a dream when Wells wrote this, and so he is vague about how exactly the Martians' flying machines operate."

From DANAHAY 113: large park; part of Greater London

GANGNES: now spelled "Bushy Park"; in Hampton

From DANAHAY 113: a heavy artillery fire

From DANAHAY 114: rapid-fire artillery (like minute-guns)

From DANAHAY 116: "sack"=looting

GANGNES: The narrator's brother is one of the first to arrive during the process of looting a bicycle shop, which allows him to steal a bicycle before they are all taken.

From MCCONNELL 212: a one-horse, two-wheeled cab for two passengers with the driver seated above and behind the cab

From DANAHAY 116: "these were frequently for hire on the streets of London like taxis"

DANAHAY 117: small carriage light enough for one pony to pull

From DANAHAY 117: related to boxing

From DANAHAY 118: unconscious

From DANAHAY 120: a grating/grinding sound

From DANAHAY 122: a bit is a piece of metal that fits in a horse's mouth and forms part of the reins

From DANAHAY 122: large cart breweries used to deliver beer

From DANAHAY 122: "The Italian scientist Luigi Galvani (1737-98) passed electricity through dead animal tissue to make it move; this kind of involuntary movement became known as galvanism."

From DANAHAY 124: spilled out

From MCCONNELL 220: gold coins worth two pounds, eighteen shillings (each)

From DANAHAY 124: gold coins worth two pounds each ("the man has a lot of heavy money in his bag")

GANGNES: Note that MCCONNELL's and DANAHAY's respective accounts of a sovereign's worth are not the same as one another or as HUGHES AND GEDULD's (and STOVER's) below.

From HUGHES AND GEDULD: "refers to sovereigns: gold coins worth one English pound each."

GANGNES: Note that HUGHES AND GEDULD's account of a sovereign's worth is not the same as MCCONNELL's or DANAHAY's above. STOVER (157) agrees with HUGHES AND GEDULD.

From MCCONNELL 224: extensions

From DANAHAY 127: new branches of "black smoke"

From DANAHAY 127: blob

From DANAHAY 99: "a vaudeville type of entertainment in a theater comprised of singing, comedy and dancing"

From MCCONNELL 192: Sunday Leagues were "religious groups which gathered to protest the opening of pubs on the Sabbath"

From DANAHAY 99: a Sunday League was a group "opposed to opening the pubs on Sundays [who] organized wholesome alternatives such as excursions"

From DANAHAY 100: "a collection of wild or foreign animals kept for exhibition"

From DANAHAY 101: small carriages with two wheels

From DANAHAY 101: "green spaces supposed to act like 'lungs' providing clean air for the rest of London"

From DANAHAY 102: evening prayer

From DANAHAY 102: young women

From MCCONNELL 195: "The reorganization of the British Army included an emphasis upon the reserve forces; but there was considerable doubt throughout the years before World War I whether a 'reserve' soldier would really be able to function in a battlefield situation."

From DANAHAY 102: "somebody in the army reserve force"

From DANAHAY 102: working-class young men

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 213: "Threepence a copy was three to six times the normal price."

From DANAHAY 102: "Wells is implying that newspapers were exploiting the situation by making their newspapers unusually expensive."

From MCCONNELL 196: "Field pieces with finely-wound wire, coiled under tension, inside their barrels. An early form of rifling (introduced in 1855), the wire coil made it possible to construct a much thinner and lighter barrel than previously, and also increased greatly the effective range of the projectile. Wire guns were used extensively during the period, and in the First World War."

From DANAHAY 103: "artillery with wire wound in the barrels that increased their power and range"

From DANAHAY 104: "people who sold in the streets by shouting out the name of their product"

From DANAHAY 105: "people dressed in their best clothes out for a stroll"

From DANAHAY 106: alarm bell or warning

From MCCONNELL 201: "This was nearly fifty times the normal price of a newspaper."

From DANAHAY 107: "The price of a newspaper [since earlier in the installment] has now risen from threepence to a shilling, or twelve pence."

From DANAHAY 107: "Wells's vision of the use of poison gas, which was used as a weapon for the first time in World War I."

GANGNES: Some illustrations of The War of the Worlds created during and soon after the First World War distinguish themselves by focusing on the black smoke instead of the heat ray. One such illustration is the book cover for a Danish edition published in 1941. Considered in the light of weapons used during the First and Second World Wars, images such as this one become particularly haunting.

From MCCONNELL 202: "in a body, in a crowd"

From DANAHAY 107: "in one huge mass"

From MCCONNELL 203: "crying or moaning"

From DANAHAY 109: "a high-pitched cry that goes up and down the scale"

From MCCONNELL 191: "an advanced student or younger teacher who, for a fee, tutors other students in preparation for their examinations"

From DANAHAY 98: a crammer was/is "somebody who helps students 'cram' for their exams. This was usually a graduate student or somebody with an advanced degree; Wells himself worked as a 'crammer' preparing students for science exams."

From MCCONNELL 175: "a surveying instrument with a telescopic sight, for establishing horizontal and vertical angles"

From DANAHAY 85: "A mirror mounted on a pole, used in this situation to communicate the whereabouts of the Martians and warn the artillery of their approach."

From MCCONNELL 175: "a moveable mirror, usually mounted on a tripod, used to transmit signals by sun flashes"

From DANAHAY 85: "An apparatus for telegraphing by means of the sun's rays flashed from a mirror."

Note: There is a photograph of heliograph operators in DANAHAY Appendix I.

From DANAHAY 86: busily

From MCCONNELL 177: "Guns capable of firing a twelve-pound ball. Heavy artillery, like every other aspect of warfare, underwent a gigantic growth in the late nineteenth century--especially after the German munitions maker, Alfred Krupp, developed the first all-steel gun in 1851."

From DANAHAY 86: "artillery, heavier than field guns described previously"

From DANAHAY 87: "a broad embankment raised as a fortification"

From DANAHAY 87: a horse-drawn bus

From DANAHAY 87: "literally means day of worship; people are dressed as if for going to church on Sunday"

From MCCONNELL 178: "Originally, grenadiers were especially tall soldiers in a regiment employed to throw grenades. This practice was discontinued by the end of the eighteenth century, though the tallest and finest soldiers of their regiments continued to be called 'grenadiers.' After 1858, the only regiment officially referred to by the name was the Grenadier Guards, the First Regiment of the Household Cavalry."

From DANAHAY 88: "originally 'grenade throwers,' but by this time an elite army regiment"

From DANAHAY 89: "Inns and pubs were allowed to sell alcohol only during particular hours specified by law."

From DANAHAY 90: a large travelling bag or suitcase

From MCCONNELL 182: "The first portable camera, the Kodak, had been patented by George Eastman in 1888. Wells himself was an ardent amateur photographer."

From DANAHAY 91: "These were very large, box-like cameras."

From DANAHAY 92: a loud, metallic ringing sound

From DANAHAY 93: "a member of the clergy who is either in charge of a parish or who is serving as an assistant in a parish."

From MCCONNELL 185: "The Lisbon earthquake, on November 1, 1775, produced tremors felt throughout Europe, destroyed almost the entire city, and killed thirty thousand people."

From DANAHAY 94: "Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, was almost completely destroyed by a devastating earthquake in 1755."

From DANAHAY 94: "small clumps of trees, not large enough to be a wood"

From DANAHAY 95: "A mackerel is a seawater fish that has rows of dark markings on its back. The rows of clouds resemble these markings."

GANGNES: With his mind still on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, MCCONNELL identifies this quote as referencing Genesis as well. STOVER and DANAHAY both identify the reference as coming from Revelation, but disagree on which passage. An examination of each passage would suggest that Stover is correct, though DANAHAY's passage also describes destruction.

From MCCONNELL 188: "A slightly inaccurate quotation from Genesis 18:28."

From STOVER 130: reference to Revelation 19:3: "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." ("her" = the harlot of Babylon, Rome)

From DANAHAY 96: "Revelations[sic] 6:16-17 describes the end of the world in these terms."

From STOVER 131: reference to Revelation 6:16

GANGNES: Note that this is the passage DANAHAY cited earlier in the curate's speech.

From MCCONNELL 190: European scarab beetle

From DANAHAY 97: large European flying beetle

From DANAHAY 68: weariness, lack of energy

From DANAHAY 68: a word for cart

From MCCONNELL156: "military engineers, builders of trenches, fortifications, etc."

From DANAHAY 69: "engineers who built bridges, forts and other structures the army might need"

From MCCONNELL156: "The famous 'Blues,' or Royal Horse Guards, consolidated in 1819."

From DANAHAY 69: the Royal Horse Guards: elite British army cavalry unit

From DANAHAY 71: "a piece of mobile artillery, usually pulled by horses"

From DANAHAY 71: the Oriental Institute

From DANAHAY 71: large group

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 207: Wells uses this name in place of the name of a real pub: the Princess of Wales.

From DANAHAY 72: the name of a local pub

From DANAHAY 72: a large metal cover used to keep food hot

From DANAHAY 73: speeding

From DANAHAY 74: "a round of coordinated fire by a body of soldiers"

From DANAHAY 74: good luck

From DANAHAY 75: struck or hit

From DANAHAY 76: in its path

GANGNES: In the 1898 edition, "wallowing" is removed.

From DANAHAY 76: jointed, able to bend and/or move

From DANAHAY 76: without consciousness

From DANAHAY 77: a squatter is "a person living in a building without paying rent"

From DANAHAY 78: force

From DANAHAY 81: "the part of the carriage on which the gun is pulled, and from which it has to be 'unlimbered' or detached"

From DANAHAY 82: disjointed, told in short bursts

From DANAHAY 83: the hood of a monk's garment

From DANAHAY 56: "spoke to or grabbed hold of"

From DANAHAY 57: thin

From DANAHAY 59: "Literally collecting together, but here figuratively meaning becoming more numerous."

From DANAHAY 60: bowl shaped

From DANAHAY 60: immediately

From DANAHAY 60: twilight

From DANAHAY 64: a cloak or cape

From DANAHAY 64: "Wells compares the opening of the 'war' with the Martians to the reaction that would have accompanied a declaration of war [by Britain] against another country like Germany."

From DANAHAY 66: a joke or hoax

From DANAHAY 66: "the Victorian term for any large detached modern house"

From DANAHAY 41: minute organisms, protozoa

From DANAHAY 42: thinner; less dense

From DANAHAY p. 42: reference to the theory of "melting icecaps" proposed by Lowell in Mars

From DANAHAY 47: contiguous English counties

GANGNES: Most of the novel takes place in Surrey and central London.

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 227: Berkshire is "a county of southern England bordered by Oxford and Buckingham (on the north), Gloucester (on the northwest), Hampshire (on the south), Surrey (on the southeast), and Wiltshire (on the west)."

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 234: Surrey is "a county of southern England bordered by Buckingham, Middlesex, and London (on the north), Berkshire (on the northwest), Kent (on the east), Hampshire (on the west), and Sussex (on the southwest). It is drained by the rivers Thames, Wey, and Mole."

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 231: Middlesex is "a major residential district that forms a sizeable part of London's metropolitan area. It borders Essex and London (on the east), Surrey (on the south), Hertford (on the north), and Buckingham (on the west)."

From DANAHAY 48: "ash that has formed a hard crust"

From DANAHAY 49: "a bartender opening the public house (pub) for the day"

DANAHAY 49: "the pub room where beer is served 'on tap'"

From DANAHAY 51: "a gardener who does occasional work for different people"

GANGNES: You will see below that three different annotated editions of the novel give three different definitions of this reference, and they do not agree as to whether it is Wales or Ireland that is meant to be the "third kingdom."

From HUGHES AND GEDULD 203: England, Ireland, and Scotland

From STOVER 70: Of Great Britain

From DANAHAY 52: England, Scotland, and Wales

From DANAHAY 52: "Flys" and "basket chaises" are light horse carriages with two wheels pulled by one horse.