H. G. Wells Society many years. It has also boasted a number of distinguished vice-presidents through the years including Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Foot, Brian Aldiss, Christopher Priest and Stephen Baxter. H. G. Wells Society There have been two groups called the H.G. Wells Society, both set up to support the ideas of Herbert George Wells (1866–1946). The first "H.G. Wells Society" was set up in 1934 to promote Wells' political ideas. Its members included Gerald Heard, Olaf Stapledon, Sylvia Pankhurst, Eden Paul and Vera Brittain. The group later changed its name to "Cosmopolis", then the "Open Conspiracy". In 1936 it merged with the
Birds of the World: Recommended English Names and urged their fellow ornithologists to "work together to simplify the use of hyphens as one small step towards improved standardization of English bird names." Capitalization presented another dispute, and still has not reached a uniform resolution. The book sold well, but it quickly became apparent that revisions would be needed, particularly as new species were described. Although the authors stressed that their work was "a first edition", in 2009, the IOC decided not to supplement the book with a revised print edition. Instead, the list of English names is now published electronically on the "IOC World Bird List" website.