List $39.95

Original The War of the Worlds novel written by H.G. Welles - October 30, 1938 original radio broadcast performed by Orson Welles - Hardcover book with Unabridged Original Old Time Radio Program on COMPACT DISC

Publisher, Sourcebooks MediaFusion (April 2001)

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"THE MARTIANS HAVE LANDED!"

THE FAMOUS PANIC BROADCAST THAT SHOOK THE WORLD STARRING ORSON WELLES.

On the evening of October 30, 1938, America went to war with Mars! Now you can listen to the original, uncut radio broadcast of Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air's original dramatization of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. Hear the program which terrified a nation and forced thousands to flee their homes in panic.

In 1898, H.G. Wells wanted to find out what it would be like if an intelligent race of Martians turned the tables on Victorian England by conquering and colonizing the world’s greatest empire. For readers around the world, The War of the Worlds elicited their darkest, deepest fears.

In 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air adapted the H.G. Wells novel to radio and used that medium’s immediacy, along with a series of realistic newsflashes as part of the story, to drive more than a million people mad with terror. Orson Welles said he wanted people to understand that...they shouldn’t swallow everything that came through the tap, whether it was radio or not. He succeeded beyond his wildest expectations, while claiming absolute innocence the next day. The Panic Broadcast, as it would be known, became the most notorious radio broadcast in history.

The Complete War of the Worlds hardcover book tells the story behind the story—how H.G. Wells’ tale of Martian invasion captured the imagination of Orson Welles, and how the book and the broadcast went on to inspire hundreds of imitators.

In this book and audio CD, you will hear the actual 1938 Orson Welles broadcast, read the original book by H.G. Wells and the radio play by Howard Koch, and see the people, places and things that turned a story into a legend.

About the Editors of the Hardcover Book Brian Holmsten is a project editor with Sourcebooks. He has written numerous magazine articles as well as television and video scripts, and also teaches communications at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Alex Lubertozzi has written articles for Screen, Small Press and was a contributing editor for the highly praised pop-culture magazine, Pure. He has been writing and editing for 10 years and holds a masters degree in advertising from the University of Illinois.