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Around the World in Eighty Days & 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Two classic tales by Jules Verne. Great 2 Jule Verne books to read.
- GenresScience FictionClassics
345 pages, Leather Bound
Published January 1, 1984
About the author
Jules Verne
7,768 books12.5k followersNovels of French writer Jules Gabriel Verne, considered the founder of modern science fiction, include
Journey to the Center of the Earth
(1864) and
Around the World in Eighty Days
(1873).
This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...
This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 5, 2023
I REALLY, really wanted to enjoy this book. And I did... mostly.
I think I went into reading it a bit too blind. While there was much action and adventure, I was holding out for the exciting deep sea fight against a giant squid.
Instead a got about half a chapter about a fight on the surface where they used hatchets to free themselves from a group of squids.
I mean, it was exciting, but apparently did not live up to the expectations in my head.
Also I really wish I had gotten to know more about Captain Nemo's past.
So a solid 3 stars.
I'm going to see if I enjoy Around the World in 80 days more.
I think I went into reading it a bit too blind. While there was much action and adventure, I was holding out for the exciting deep sea fight against a giant squid.
Instead a got about half a chapter about a fight on the surface where they used hatchets to free themselves from a group of squids.
I mean, it was exciting, but apparently did not live up to the expectations in my head.
Also I really wish I had gotten to know more about Captain Nemo's past.
So a solid 3 stars.
I'm going to see if I enjoy Around the World in 80 days more.
June 24, 2011
"Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage, about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man of the world."
So begins one of the greatest works by Jules Verne. Phileas Fogg, a man of exact planning and reserved emotions, takes on a bet to travel around the world in 80 days or less. Accompanied by his newly installed man-servant, the energetic and fanatically loyal Passepartout, the pair set out from London and begin their quest to circumnavigate the globe by any means possible.
Around the World in 80 Days is a short read, but should be viewed as more than just a tale about one man’s mission to fulfill a wager. It also serves as a tour-guide to the planet during the age of steam, rail, and sail. Mileage of track, tonnage of ships, and the time required to transit each leg is exact to the day and age when Fogg made his voyage. India is still under British control, China and Japan are empires foreign and mystical, and America in the middle of its expansion west. And while Fogg appears to care for nothing save his timetable, the glories of each major stop are seen through the eyes of Passepartout. In too few pages, the reader doesn’t just follow Fogg and Passepartout, they accompany them on their voyage.
As for the characters, Verne captures the soul of “British phlegm” in the attitude of Fogg as no delay or side-mission deters the man’s resolve. But however removed he seems from the situation, he is equally unconcerned about the natural wonders around him. Verne counter-balances this removed, almost cold personality with Passepartout: an out-going and dramatic Frenchman who is loose with his tongue, proud of his pocket-watch, and able to create, and subsequently escape, many international incidents. Other characters get introduced along the way and Verne handles them expertly. There are no “throw-aways”, as each is drawn with enough personality and grace to make them real figures to the reader. Whether joining the pair for a game of whist or doggedly hounding them for weeks at a time, the secondary characters are pleasant companions to have on the trek.
Around the World in 80 Days remains a classic, and for good reason. It serves as both an entertaining voyage as well as an education into the mindset of 19th century British culture. And while the world at the end of the 19th Century is rapidly shrinking, it is still large enough to seem alien. Verne masterfully leads the reader from one fantastical country to the next, reminding us that no matter how small the world becomes or how fast we can transit the globe, there is magic still to be found in the journey more than the destination.
So begins one of the greatest works by Jules Verne. Phileas Fogg, a man of exact planning and reserved emotions, takes on a bet to travel around the world in 80 days or less. Accompanied by his newly installed man-servant, the energetic and fanatically loyal Passepartout, the pair set out from London and begin their quest to circumnavigate the globe by any means possible.
Around the World in 80 Days is a short read, but should be viewed as more than just a tale about one man’s mission to fulfill a wager. It also serves as a tour-guide to the planet during the age of steam, rail, and sail. Mileage of track, tonnage of ships, and the time required to transit each leg is exact to the day and age when Fogg made his voyage. India is still under British control, China and Japan are empires foreign and mystical, and America in the middle of its expansion west. And while Fogg appears to care for nothing save his timetable, the glories of each major stop are seen through the eyes of Passepartout. In too few pages, the reader doesn’t just follow Fogg and Passepartout, they accompany them on their voyage.
As for the characters, Verne captures the soul of “British phlegm” in the attitude of Fogg as no delay or side-mission deters the man’s resolve. But however removed he seems from the situation, he is equally unconcerned about the natural wonders around him. Verne counter-balances this removed, almost cold personality with Passepartout: an out-going and dramatic Frenchman who is loose with his tongue, proud of his pocket-watch, and able to create, and subsequently escape, many international incidents. Other characters get introduced along the way and Verne handles them expertly. There are no “throw-aways”, as each is drawn with enough personality and grace to make them real figures to the reader. Whether joining the pair for a game of whist or doggedly hounding them for weeks at a time, the secondary characters are pleasant companions to have on the trek.
Around the World in 80 Days remains a classic, and for good reason. It serves as both an entertaining voyage as well as an education into the mindset of 19th century British culture. And while the world at the end of the 19th Century is rapidly shrinking, it is still large enough to seem alien. Verne masterfully leads the reader from one fantastical country to the next, reminding us that no matter how small the world becomes or how fast we can transit the globe, there is magic still to be found in the journey more than the destination.
June 12, 2022
I was intrigued by this book because I watched a production of Around the World in Eighty Days on PBS this spring. It is barely like the book! Three characters are the same (some in name only) and the rest is completely different. Such a surprise that it spurred me on as I read.
The book is not long but there are some very long descriptions of places. Some I found interesting, some I did not. I wonder what I would have thought of the book if I wasn’t comparing it to the limited series. Going to read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and then watch a movie of it.
Finally finished 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It was a struggle for me to finish. So many detailed descriptions of sea life that used terms I don’t know and Latin classification names. Since it was written in the 1800’s, I suspect terminology many have changed by now. The action of the story is perhaps half the book and I didn’t find it sufficient to make up for the descriptive parts. I would not recommend this book.
The book is not long but there are some very long descriptions of places. Some I found interesting, some I did not. I wonder what I would have thought of the book if I wasn’t comparing it to the limited series. Going to read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and then watch a movie of it.
Finally finished 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It was a struggle for me to finish. So many detailed descriptions of sea life that used terms I don’t know and Latin classification names. Since it was written in the 1800’s, I suspect terminology many have changed by now. The action of the story is perhaps half the book and I didn’t find it sufficient to make up for the descriptive parts. I would not recommend this book.
November 22, 2013
Two things I noticed right off. The main character's name is Phileas Fogg, not Phineas Fogg as I've thought all these years. Second, he never ever rides in a balloon! For some reason, maybe the movies, I thought he traversed the world in a hot air balloon. Never. He takes trains, ships, an elephant, and a snowsled.
I found the story very enjoyable despite Verne's need to make it as much as a travelogue as possible with distances, elevations, timetables, and detailed descriptions of the countries known at the time. While traveling across America, Verne inexplicably takes it an opportunity to talk about the entire history of the Mormons.
But Verne's writing style is delightful enough to overcome those minor details.
I found the story very enjoyable despite Verne's need to make it as much as a travelogue as possible with distances, elevations, timetables, and detailed descriptions of the countries known at the time. While traveling across America, Verne inexplicably takes it an opportunity to talk about the entire history of the Mormons.
But Verne's writing style is delightful enough to overcome those minor details.
January 16, 2015
Quirky Phileas Fogg decides split-second to travel around the world because of a wager. He has his own set of values.
The plot reflects Fogg's temperament in being often rather mechanical. Still, an intriguing story with various cultural factors thrown in.
[Note: I actually read this as an e-book, Project Gutenberg, but could not find it in the listing and did not want to make a new listing.]
The plot reflects Fogg's temperament in being often rather mechanical. Still, an intriguing story with various cultural factors thrown in.
[Note: I actually read this as an e-book, Project Gutenberg, but could not find it in the listing and did not want to make a new listing.]
June 27, 2012
I read "Around the World in Eighty Days" as an e-book, but I'm not finding my particular edition here.
January 7, 2013
Excellent
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews