Life — June 6, 1907 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Literary Zoo" - H.G. Wells Commentary This page is primarily **advertising** (Hamburg-American Line cruises, Lackawanna Railroad, travel services), with the main editorial content being a brief essay titled "The Literary Zoo" by Wells. The essay discusses H.G. Wells's recent work "A Modern Utopia," comparing his scientific predictions to Jules Verne's earlier fiction. The author notes that Wells's imaginative vision of future transportation—a transcontinental train traveling 120+ mph in a hotel corridor—seems fantastical but may prove prophetic. The piece treats Wells as a serious speculative thinker whose "prophecies" warrant comparison with actual technological progress, positioning imaginative literature as a legitimate form of forward-thinking analysis rather than mere fantasy.