Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

by Ron Miller, Jules Verne

A nineteenth-century science fiction tale of an electric submarine, its eccentric captain, and undersea world, which anticipated many of the scientific achievements of the twentieth century.

Genres: Classics, Literature, Classic Literature

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Ron Miller is an illustrator and author living in South Boston, Virginia. Before becoming a freelance illustrator in 1977, Miller was art director for the National Air & Space Museum's Albert Einstein Planetarium. Prior to this he was a commercial advertising illustrator. His primary work today entails the writing and illustration of books specializing in astronomical, astronautical and science fiction subjects. His special interest is in exciting young people about science, and in recent years has focused on writing books for young adults. To date he has more than 50 titles to his credit. His work has also appeared on scores of book jackets, book interiors and in magazines such as National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Scientific American, Smithsonian, Air & Space, Sky & Telescope, Newsweek, Natural History, Discover, Geo, etc.

Miller's books include the Hugo-nominated The Grand Tour, Cycles of Fire, In the Stream of Stars, and The History of Earth. All of have been Book-of-the-Month Club Feature Selections (as well as selections of the Science, Quality Paperback and Astronomy book clubs) and have seen numerous translations.

Considered an authority on Jules Verne, Miller translated and illustrated new, definitive editions of Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth as well as a major companion/atlas to Verne's works. He has worked as a consultant on Verne for Disney Imagineering and for A&E's Biography series.

Miller is also considered an authority on the early history of spaceflight. The Dream Machines, a comprehensive 744-page history of manned spacecraft, was nominated for the prestigious IAF Manuscript Award and won the Booklist Editor's Choice Award.

As an artist, Miller has designed a set of ten commemorative stamps for the U.S. Postal Service and has been a production illustrator for motion pictures, notably Dune and Total Recall. He has also done preproduction concepts, consultation and matte art for David Lynch, George Miller, John Ellis, UFO Films and James Cameron. He designed and co-directed the computer-generated show ride film, Impact! and has taken part in numerous international space art workshops and exhibitions, including seminal sessions held in Iceland and the Soviet Union (where he was invited by the Soviet government to take part in the 30th anniversary celebration of the launch of Sputnik). His original paintings are in numerous private and public collections, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Pushkin Museum (Moscow).

Reviews

[Lexi C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book and was an epic summery of the classic. A good quick read.

[Jude McAnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelsior! This book, not just this story, but this specific edition was the impetus of my writing and research journey. What could be more spellbinding for a ten-year-old boy than an epic, readable adventure with a giant squid attacking a submarine on the cover?
Anyone could be honored to be introduced to Verne's most iconic work in this way, but the real-world facts and diagrams positioned throughout the book make the material come alive almost as effectively as the illustrations. The afterward led me to the memorable films of "20,000 Leagues" and "The Mysterious Island" which trebled the influence that M. Verne exerted on my love of storytelling.
One thing I find interesting in this edition is the way Captain Nemo is drawn in the illustrations. Usually, the character is either Polish (with a vendetta against Tzarist Russia) or Indian (with a feud against Great Britain). Here, however, his physiognomy looks decidedly Mediterranean. Almost Italian. Of course this makes him look all the more imperious, but I am curious about the reason for this.
If you have children, this is the perfect way to start them off on classic literature or reading in general. Book appetite!

[Enrico Valdinocci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fil dall'infanzia mi sono imposto di leggere questo grande classico dell'avventura, e fin da allora ho sempre mollato ad un certo punto. Quasi raggiunti i cinquant'anni ho deciso di riprovarci e, sebbene per pura tenacia lo abbia finito, non posso certo affermare che la lettura sia stata piacevole. "Ventima leghe sotto i mari" è un libro noiosissimo che alterna (poca) azione a tantissime descrizioni; quese lette in altra età avrebbero potuto anche risultare affascinanti, ma ora risultano solo datate ed estremamente verbose. So che ogni grande classico va letto nel suo contesto storico, quindi gli assegno 2 stelle per l'importanza che ha avuto per tutta la narrativa fantastica successiva e per l'immaginario collettivo.

[Troy-David Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood favorite, this, along with “Master of the World” is my favorite from Jules Verne.
I have always found Captain Nemo an interesting and complex character; too compelling to dismiss out of hand but never completely shedding his role as principle antagonist.
The setting has always fascinated me as well.
In all, this is truly excellent adventure fiction with a strong sci-fi component, and interesting characters in Professor Pierre Aronnax and Nex Land.
I heartily recommend this: I first read it in 6th Grade, and would happily re-read now.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most favorite books when I was young, when I was also first introduced to Verne and the world of science fiction in literature, this is an amazing adaptation of the all-time classic favorite from Verne with outstanding illustrations and exhibitions throughout!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I will admit that I never read this classic as a kid. I must say, how awesome that this is the copy I picked up to read! The illustrations are beautiful, and it's a new translation. I've obviously never read the French, but the introduction explains how he added back in large chunks that are generally cut in the "standard" translations, and corrected errors, etc. It seemed like a good translation to me, it read well, which I'm sure is what the translator/illustrator intended, since he is apparently quite a Verne afficionado. I will say that most of his footnotes were helpful but a few were maybe a bit too much.

As a modern reader, some of the scientific errors Verne made did stand out. But they weren't really irritating, because it was an astonishingly well-thought-out piece of speculative fiction written at a time when Antarctica and the South Pole were unexplored, little was known of life in the greatest depths of the ocean, research equipment was more limited than it is now, they didn't even have reliable SCUBA gear! Indeed, reading what they DID know back then, and what was known and discovered and reasoned out just with the human eye, human hand, and human brain and a few more rudimentary tools, is impressive. Moreover, the story is compelling. I have to say that I now can't wait to find a copy of a translation of The Mysterious Island so I can find out the true origins of Captain Nemo. :D

I will say though that the ending was a tiny tad disappointing. I've never been a fan of the "We were in great danger! And then I passed out! And when I woke up... we were safe." It is a bit of a cop out. But overall, I can see why this is a story that has been labeled a "classic" and endured through the years as preferred reading for young people, especially boys. :)

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jules Verne's great work of science fiction prescience, in which he imagines the submarine a century before its invention. It's also a great tale.

[Mary Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jules Verne is a master at details! You could swear that he worked his whole life on the ocean. Captain Nemo is a very layerd character.

[VIVI GARCIA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome with pictures