The Rights of Man

H. G. Wells’ seminal human rights manifesto reissued with an original introduction by Ali Smith

Written in 1940 in response to the ongoing war with Germany, this fearlessly progressive manifesto of universal human rights addresses itself to the question of what Britain was fighting for - what a just and stable world should and could look like. After the Second World War concluded, it became the inspiration for the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the EU’s European Convention on Human Rights and the UK’s Human Rights Act. It continues to be an utterly apposite political text in our modern world.

In view of the current humanitarian crisis facing the international community, and in light of the British government’s plans to dismantle our Human Rights Act, Hamish Hamilton are reissuing H. G. Wells’ seminal humanitarian manifesto. With a new introduction by Ali Smith, this is campaigning publishing intended to stimulate debate and contribute to one of the most vitally important fights of our era.