Quantity:

More Buying Choices

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Sorry, this item is not available in

Image not available for
Colour:

Image not available

Share your own customer images

Search inside another edition of this book

Tell the Publisher!
I�d like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

The Machine Stops (Penguin Mini Modern Classics) [Paperback]

E M Forster (Author)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Price:	�3.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
Deal Price:
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Only 9 left in stock (more on the way).
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.

Want delivery by Friday, 24 May? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

	Amazon Price		New from	Used from
Library Binding	--		--	--
Paperback	�3.00		--	--
Show # more paperbacks
Show fewer paperbacks
Audio, CD, Audiobook	--		--	--
Audio Download, Unabridged	�3.37	or Free with Audible.co.uk 30-day free trial

Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

› See more product promotions

Book Description

Publication Date: 15 Feb 2011 | ISBN-10: 0141195983 | ISBN-13: 978-0141195988

'"You talk as if a god had made the Machine," cried the other. "I believe that you pray to it when you are unhappy. Men made it, do not forget that."'

E.M. Forster is best known for his exquisite novels, but these two affecting short stories brilliantly combine the fantastical with the allegorical. In 'The Machine Stops', humanity has isolated itself beneath the ground, enmeshed in automated comforts, and in 'The Celestial Omnibus' a young boy takes a trip his parents believe impossible.

This book contains The Machine Stops and A Celestial Omnibus.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; }

'"You talk as if a god had made the Machine," cried the other. "I believe that you pray to it when you are unhappy. Men made it, do not forget that."'

This book contains The Machine Stops and A Celestial Omnibus.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Door in the Wall (Penguin Mini Modern …
H G Wells

4.0 out of 5 stars (1)

Paperback

�3.00
Chess (Penguin Mini Modern Classics)
› Stefan Zweig

4.7 out of 5 stars (12)

Paperback

�3.00
The Sleeper Awakes
› H.G. Wells

4.8 out of 5 stars (5)

Paperback

�6.74
Him With His Foot in His Mouth (Penguin Mini …
› Saul Bellow

5.0 out of 5 stars (1)

Paperback

�3.00
The Colour Out of Space (Penguin Mini Modern …
› H P Lovecraft

4.0 out of 5 stars (1)

Paperback

�3.00
The Last Man (Wordsworth Classics)
Mary Wollstonecraft Shell…

4.0 out of 5 stars (18)

Paperback

�1.99

Product details

Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics (15 Feb 2011)
Language: Unknown
ISBN-10: 0141195983
ISBN-13: 978-0141195988
Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 0.7 x 16.1 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 32,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #68 in Books > Fiction > Science Fiction > Short Stories
- #83 in Books > Fiction > Science Fiction > Classics

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's S. H. Burton Page

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

About the Author

Edward Morgan Forster (1879-1970) was educated at King's College, Cambridge, with whom he had a lifelong connection. He was elected to an Honorary Fellowship in 1946. He wrote six novels - Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), The Longest Journey (1907), A Room with a View (1908), Howards End (1910), A Passage to India (1924), which won both the Prix Femina Vie Heureuse and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Maurice , written in 1914, was published posthumously in 1971. He also published two volumes of short stories; two collections of essays; a critical work (Aspects of the Novel); The Hill of Devi; two biographies; two books about Alexandria; and the libretto for Britten's opera Billy Budd. He died in 1970. In his obituary The Times called him 'one of the most esteemed English novelists of his time'.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Machine Stops and Other Stories (Collector's Library) by E. M. Forster Hardcover
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)

�6.89

Chess (Penguin Mini Modern Classics) by Stefan Zweig Paperback
4.7 out of 5 stars (12)

�3.00

Collected Short Stories (Twentieth Century Classics) by E. M. Forster Paperback
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)

The Last Man (Wordsworth Classics) by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Paperback
4.0 out of 5 stars (18)

�1.99

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

5 star

4 star

3 star

2 star

1 star

4.2 out of 5 stars

8 reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

Write a customer review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars scarily acurate! 15 Feb 2009

By Ms. L. M. Thatcher

Format:Paperback

I love this author, having read Maurice some time ago I developed a great respect for Forster's insightful writing. This book was mentioned by a tutor at university, just in passing, talking about children and the "digital revolution" so I thought i'd give it a try. It's not very long, more of a long short story, and it's not very cheerful either, but considering the time when it was written, it's a very accurate portrayal of our dependence on modern technology and alienation from nature.
Bit of a doom mongers field day, but still a good read.

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Historically important short story 22 April 2011

By Mr. Peter Roberts

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I first read this story many, many years ago, but it had stayed with me. Recently I realised that the future society that was being described in the story - in which people communicate via the machine and where no one meets anyone face-to-face anymore - had some chillingly close parallels with the way our civilisation is heading.

People 'meet' on Facebook, communicate by Twitter, by email, by text. Children don't go out anymore, people don't speak.

So I bought the book again.

EM Forster wrote this in 1909. Little did he know.........

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The MAchine Stops 26 Dec 2009

By flossy

Format:Paperback

excellent book newly printed
this was on A level syllabus and I wanted to read it again -brilliant

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

› See all 8 customer reviews (newest first) on Amazon.co.uk

Write a customer review

Would you like to see more reviews about this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 24 reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars

Were these reviews helpful? Let us know

Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Creepy and Thought provoking

Fascinating read - a touch of the George Orwell about it. It's only fifty or so pages and would be a great book for book club discussion.

Published 1 month ago by Eleanor

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting view of the future.

A nice small book that easily fits into a handbag or pocket, great for traveling.
The story The Machine Stops is an interesting view of what could be more than possible in the... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Alfachick

4.0 out of 5 stars Prophecy may come true

In this clever little book, E M FOrster has envisaged the helplessness of future mankind who relies completely on artificial intelligence to survive. Read more

Published 16 months ago by X.W.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Contemporary Analysis of The Machine Stops

Forster's description of the machine is eerily accurate to how dependent we are increasingly becoming on technology in society today. Read more

Published on 29 Oct 2010 by Steven King

2.0 out of 5 stars Great story spoiled by printing mistakes

EM Forster's short story is way ahead of it's time. It's hard to believe that it was written a century ago (1909). Read more

Published on 22 July 2009 by Kentish Reader

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }

Customer Discussions

This product's forum

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
fiction discussion forum Books that publicly embarrassed you	269	4 hours ago
fiction discussion forum Great Authors who are ignored probably because they haven't been on a reality show	56	5 hours ago
fiction discussion forum Come on - why don't we write our own book right here in the fiction forum ? I'll do the first sentence, and then jump in....hold on, here we go...	7126	7 hours ago
fiction discussion forum What are you reading now?	8064	7 hours ago
fiction discussion forum how much can you trust an editor?	12	8 hours ago
fiction discussion forum Wow! Author found guilty!	5	8 hours ago
science fiction discussion forum Doctor Who DVD Release Schedule...	1102	9 hours ago
science fiction discussion forum Could anyone suggest a good time travel book?	282	10 hours ago