The Day of the Triffids
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  • Published: 21 February 2001
  • ISBN: 9780141185415
  • Imprint: Penguin Classics
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 256
  • RRP: $26.00

The Day of the Triffids

Formats & editions
Paperback
24 Sep 2014
Paperback
21 Feb 2001
EBook
21 Feb 2001
Audiobook
3 Jul 2006
Paperback
18 Aug 2008
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The most famous catastrophe novel of the twentieth century, published as a Penguin Essential for the first time.

When Bill Masen wakes up blindfolded in hospital there is a bitter irony in his situation. Carefully removing his bandages, he realizes that he is the only person who can see: everyone else, doctors and patients alike, have been blinded by a meteor shower. Now, with civilization in chaos, the triffids - huge, venomous, large-rooted plants able to 'walk', feeding on human flesh - can have their day.

The Day of the Triffids, published in 1951, expresses many of the political concerns of its time: the Cold War, the fear of biological experimentation and the man-made apocalypse. However, with its terrifyingly believable insights into the genetic modification of plants, the book is more relevant today than ever before.
  • Published: 21 February 2001
  • ISBN: 9780141185415
  • Imprint: Penguin Classics
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 256
  • RRP: $26.00
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About the author

John Wyndham

John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Benyon Harris was born in 1903. He had a variety of careers before becoming an author, but decided to take up writing professionally in 1925. Under several pseudonyms, he wrote numerous short stories for American science fiction magazines. During World War II, he worked in the Ministry of Information before serving in the army, and took part in the Normandy landings. He returned to writing in 1946, using the pen name John Wyndham, and The Day of the Triffids was published in 1951. It was a huge success, and was followed by seven further novels. He died in 1969.

Also by John Wyndham

The Chrysalids
The Day of the Triffids: Popular Penguins
The Midwich Cuckoos
The Kraken Wakes
The Chrysalids: Popular Penguins
John Wyndham: A BBC Radio Drama Collection
The Day Of The Triffids
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