The Research Magnificent

A wealthy, restless young man devotes his life and fortune to the search for a ‘magnificent’ existence—one of purpose, nobility, and meaning—traveling the world and testing ideas, love, and action against his lofty ideal. Wells uses the quest as a vehicle for his reflections on how a person might live a truly significant life in the modern world. Philosophical and questing, The Research Magnificent blends narrative with the earnest idealism that runs through all of Wells’s mature work. A thoughtful novel of aspiration and self-examination, it captures one man’s determined pursuit of greatness and the difficulty of turning grand ambition into a well-lived life.