Kipps The Story of a Simple Soul by H. G. Wells [republicV]

HG Wells was born in Bromley, Kent in 1866. After working as a draper's apprentice and pupil-teacher, he won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in 1884, studying under T H Huxley. He was awarded a first-class honours degree in biology and resumed teaching but had to retire after a kick from an ill-natured pupil afflicted his kidneys. He worked in poverty in London as a crammer while experimenting in journalism and stories. It was with The Time Machine (1895) that he had his real breakthrough.

Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul - is a novel by H.G. Wells, first published in 1905. The story is a semi-autobiographical account of Wells' experience in working as a draper (shop assistant).

Artie Kipps is an orphan, raised by his uncle and aunt, and then apprenticed for 7 years as a draper (based on Wells's own experience). However, his life suddenly changes when he discovers through reading a newspaper that he is the grandson of a wealthy gentleman. He inherits his fortune and is abruptly thrown into upper class society, and struggles to learn about etiquette and the rules of public society; he soon discovers what it is to be a true gentleman.