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L' Agence Thompson & Co
Robert Morgand, a Frenchman, finds himself without employment and very little money in London, England. He sees a poster for a tour that will visit the "Three Archipelagos;" that is the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands. The part that catches his eye is the need for an interpreter. As he can speak French, English, Spanish and Portuguese he feels qualified for the job, which he easily obtains.
440 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1907
7 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Jules Verne
6,647 books12.2k 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 20, 2017
Me van a perdonar los expertos pero... la novela es de las que más me ha gustado de las de la última etapa. A la que habría que añadir Barsac, que salvo el primer capítulo, es enteramente del hijo.
Se sabe que los diez primeros capítulos fueron escritos por Verne, y el resto por el hijo, nadie sabe si basados en las notas de Verne o completamente inventados por Michel. Yo creo en esta segunda opción, ya que el libro es bastante más largo incluso que el normal en dos volúmenes de Verne, y tiene varios finales seguidos, lo que en principio no está mal. Aparte de eso, Verne suele poner conclusiones muy cortas y en este caso el capítulo final es bastante largo, eso sin contar la trama amorosa, magistralmente llevada a cabo.
Se comenta que a partir del capítulo 10 la obra pierde toda su viveza e interés, pero yo no lo creo así, ya que es muy igual en el desarrollo, con prácticamente el mismo tipo de humor y de aventuras, que flojean un poco a la mitad del libro pero no que se hace demasiado aburrido.
Como siempre, la edición leída es la de Sáenz de Jubera de principios de 1900, aunque también tengo la que he elegido como leída.
Se sabe que los diez primeros capítulos fueron escritos por Verne, y el resto por el hijo, nadie sabe si basados en las notas de Verne o completamente inventados por Michel. Yo creo en esta segunda opción, ya que el libro es bastante más largo incluso que el normal en dos volúmenes de Verne, y tiene varios finales seguidos, lo que en principio no está mal. Aparte de eso, Verne suele poner conclusiones muy cortas y en este caso el capítulo final es bastante largo, eso sin contar la trama amorosa, magistralmente llevada a cabo.
Se comenta que a partir del capítulo 10 la obra pierde toda su viveza e interés, pero yo no lo creo así, ya que es muy igual en el desarrollo, con prácticamente el mismo tipo de humor y de aventuras, que flojean un poco a la mitad del libro pero no que se hace demasiado aburrido.
Como siempre, la edición leída es la de Sáenz de Jubera de principios de 1900, aunque también tengo la que he elegido como leída.
March 6, 2023
(57) L’Agence Thompson and Co (The Thompson Travel Agency, 1907) (2 volumes) 126K words
The fifty-seventh Extraordinary Voyage, the third one published after Jules Verne's death, takes us first on an organized travel tour of the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands, and later to the western coast of Africa. Other novels in the series that feature travel adventures from a touristic rather than exploratory point of view include "Travel Scholarships" and "Clovis Dardentor", and in a looser sense one could include in that group books like "Around the World in Eighty Days" and "Claudius Bombarnac".
What is it about?: Robert Morgand, a Frenchman in dire economic straits, finds a job as a guide and interpreter for a British tourist tour that will visit the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands. Mr. Thompson, the owner of the travel agency, has lowered the prices to an excessive extent, in an effort to underbid other competing agencies. As a result, he wants to cut costs as much as possible. The group of people that have signed on for the tour are an eclectic bunch; between their quirks, the thriftiness of tour director Thompson and the almost un-seaworthiness of the ship Seamew, Robert Morgand has his work cut out for him.
As I have commented in previous reviews, after Jules Verne's death, his son Michel took charge of his unpublished manuscripts and prepared them for publication. These novels were published under Jules Verne's name, and for almost a century no one doubted his authorship. However, near the end of the 20th century, Verne scholars found the original Jules Verne manuscripts and could compare them with the versions modified by Michel. As a result, it was discovered that Michel made significant contributions and modifications, less extensive for some of the novels and more for others. He added plot lines and characters, in general making the stories more eventful, to the extent that it's fair to think of the posthumous Extraordinary Voyages as collaborations between Jules and his son.
"The Thompson Travel Agency" is a special case among these posthumous novels because no Jules Verne manuscript was found, only Michel's. This led the investigators to conclude that this novel was exclusively the work of Michel Verne.
I'm not completely persuaded that no Jules Verne manuscript discovered necessarily means that there never was one, though. It is known that Michel was a competent writer himself, to the extent that people did not suspect his involvement in the posthumous novels until the manuscripts were discovered. However, if this novel was completely his own original work, I have to say he did an excellent job channeling his father, because it fits seamlessly with the style of other novels from the second half of Jules Verne's career, and in fact it features a lot of the sardonic sense of humor that Jules showed in some of his novels.
I have read that some scholars, through stylistic analysis, believe that the first twenty chapter may be Jules Verne's work and the last ten Michel's. This sounds plausible to me, but I guess we will never know for sure. In any case, for "The Thompson Travel Agency" do not bother looking for a published version of Jules Verne's original manuscript without Michel's additions, like you can find for other posthumous novels. In the case of this novel, if there ever was a Jules Verne manuscript, it has been lost.
But enough chat about the authorship and let's look at the contents.
During Verne's life, the age of sail ended, as steamships came to dominate the oceans, making sea travel faster and safer. The unknown parts of the Earth were gradually explored and mapped, making our planet seem a smaller, less mysterious place. There were still adventures to be had, but they were of a different kind, involving less exploration of unknown, uncivilized regions.
This was reflected in the Extraordinary Voyages which, particularly during the second half of Verne's writing career, increasingly took place within the reach of civilization. We see this clearly in the premise of this novel. For the first time in the Voyages, it features a travel agency like the ones we are used to in the modern world. The closest thing in the series until now would be "Travel Scholarships", although that novel described a more informal organized trip for a group of schoolboys, not a tour open to any customers of a travel agency.
What the novel lacks in exoticism and adventure in the wilderness, it makes up with its satiric sense of humor in the way it describes the characters and their interactions. In that sense, I thought it compares, not unfavorably, with "Clovis Dardentor", for example. Verne often did not aim to be funny in his novels, but when he did I rather enjoy his wry sense of humor, and I recognized that same sense of humor here, which is why I find it difficult to believe he played no part in the writing of this novel. If he did not, then Michel did a remarkable job following his father's style.
Besides the sense of humor, the plot also follows familiar lines. We get the descriptions of the different islands the tourists visit, which is something that I think is less interesting for modern readers. After all, we can go on the internet and see pictures and videos of any part of the world. I suspect that Verne's contemporary readers found these descriptions more interesting, though, as the Voyages were a way to travel with the mind and get to know parts of the world that most readers would never see.
Even for modern readers, I don't think these descriptions get too boring, because they are balanced with the different adventures the travelers go through and their personal drama. That includes quite a lot, from Roberto and his friend Roger's romances with two American sisters, to people traveling under false names, robberies, attempted murder, accidents, epidemics... A lot of humorous moments are caused by Mr. Thompson's thrifty ways and the indignation this causes in some of the travelers.
The first two thirds of the novel are more episodic and more humorous, as the tourists visit the different islands, and the last part becomes a more straightforward adventure story when the group gets into serious difficulties and dangers.
Enjoyment factor: I quite enjoyed this one. It's long (2 volumes) and a bit slow at times, but I found it entertaining because of the humor and the personal dynamics of the characters. It does follow a familiar Verne formula, mixing adventure and geographic descriptions. These geographic descriptions may bother some readers more than they bothered me.
Next up: The Chase of the Golden Meteor
See all my Verne reviews here: https://www.sffworld.com/forum/thread...
The fifty-seventh Extraordinary Voyage, the third one published after Jules Verne's death, takes us first on an organized travel tour of the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands, and later to the western coast of Africa. Other novels in the series that feature travel adventures from a touristic rather than exploratory point of view include "Travel Scholarships" and "Clovis Dardentor", and in a looser sense one could include in that group books like "Around the World in Eighty Days" and "Claudius Bombarnac".
What is it about?: Robert Morgand, a Frenchman in dire economic straits, finds a job as a guide and interpreter for a British tourist tour that will visit the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands. Mr. Thompson, the owner of the travel agency, has lowered the prices to an excessive extent, in an effort to underbid other competing agencies. As a result, he wants to cut costs as much as possible. The group of people that have signed on for the tour are an eclectic bunch; between their quirks, the thriftiness of tour director Thompson and the almost un-seaworthiness of the ship Seamew, Robert Morgand has his work cut out for him.
As I have commented in previous reviews, after Jules Verne's death, his son Michel took charge of his unpublished manuscripts and prepared them for publication. These novels were published under Jules Verne's name, and for almost a century no one doubted his authorship. However, near the end of the 20th century, Verne scholars found the original Jules Verne manuscripts and could compare them with the versions modified by Michel. As a result, it was discovered that Michel made significant contributions and modifications, less extensive for some of the novels and more for others. He added plot lines and characters, in general making the stories more eventful, to the extent that it's fair to think of the posthumous Extraordinary Voyages as collaborations between Jules and his son.
"The Thompson Travel Agency" is a special case among these posthumous novels because no Jules Verne manuscript was found, only Michel's. This led the investigators to conclude that this novel was exclusively the work of Michel Verne.
I'm not completely persuaded that no Jules Verne manuscript discovered necessarily means that there never was one, though. It is known that Michel was a competent writer himself, to the extent that people did not suspect his involvement in the posthumous novels until the manuscripts were discovered. However, if this novel was completely his own original work, I have to say he did an excellent job channeling his father, because it fits seamlessly with the style of other novels from the second half of Jules Verne's career, and in fact it features a lot of the sardonic sense of humor that Jules showed in some of his novels.
I have read that some scholars, through stylistic analysis, believe that the first twenty chapter may be Jules Verne's work and the last ten Michel's. This sounds plausible to me, but I guess we will never know for sure. In any case, for "The Thompson Travel Agency" do not bother looking for a published version of Jules Verne's original manuscript without Michel's additions, like you can find for other posthumous novels. In the case of this novel, if there ever was a Jules Verne manuscript, it has been lost.
But enough chat about the authorship and let's look at the contents.
During Verne's life, the age of sail ended, as steamships came to dominate the oceans, making sea travel faster and safer. The unknown parts of the Earth were gradually explored and mapped, making our planet seem a smaller, less mysterious place. There were still adventures to be had, but they were of a different kind, involving less exploration of unknown, uncivilized regions.
This was reflected in the Extraordinary Voyages which, particularly during the second half of Verne's writing career, increasingly took place within the reach of civilization. We see this clearly in the premise of this novel. For the first time in the Voyages, it features a travel agency like the ones we are used to in the modern world. The closest thing in the series until now would be "Travel Scholarships", although that novel described a more informal organized trip for a group of schoolboys, not a tour open to any customers of a travel agency.
What the novel lacks in exoticism and adventure in the wilderness, it makes up with its satiric sense of humor in the way it describes the characters and their interactions. In that sense, I thought it compares, not unfavorably, with "Clovis Dardentor", for example. Verne often did not aim to be funny in his novels, but when he did I rather enjoy his wry sense of humor, and I recognized that same sense of humor here, which is why I find it difficult to believe he played no part in the writing of this novel. If he did not, then Michel did a remarkable job following his father's style.
Besides the sense of humor, the plot also follows familiar lines. We get the descriptions of the different islands the tourists visit, which is something that I think is less interesting for modern readers. After all, we can go on the internet and see pictures and videos of any part of the world. I suspect that Verne's contemporary readers found these descriptions more interesting, though, as the Voyages were a way to travel with the mind and get to know parts of the world that most readers would never see.
Even for modern readers, I don't think these descriptions get too boring, because they are balanced with the different adventures the travelers go through and their personal drama. That includes quite a lot, from Roberto and his friend Roger's romances with two American sisters, to people traveling under false names, robberies, attempted murder, accidents, epidemics... A lot of humorous moments are caused by Mr. Thompson's thrifty ways and the indignation this causes in some of the travelers.
The first two thirds of the novel are more episodic and more humorous, as the tourists visit the different islands, and the last part becomes a more straightforward adventure story when the group gets into serious difficulties and dangers.
Enjoyment factor: I quite enjoyed this one. It's long (2 volumes) and a bit slow at times, but I found it entertaining because of the humor and the personal dynamics of the characters. It does follow a familiar Verne formula, mixing adventure and geographic descriptions. These geographic descriptions may bother some readers more than they bothered me.
Next up: The Chase of the Golden Meteor
See all my Verne reviews here: https://www.sffworld.com/forum/thread...
May 12, 2021
Cu picioarele depărtate şi privirea pierdută în zarea ceţoasă a visării, Robert Morgand stătea nemişcat, de mai bine de cinci minute, în faţa zidului lung şi negru, împestriţat tot de afişe, care mărginea una dintre cele mai triste străzi ale Londrei. Ploua cu găleata. Din rigolă, şuvoiul de apă se revărsa inundând trotuarul şi infiltrându-se cu viclenie sub tălpile visătorului, al cărui creştet era şi el ameninţat de aversă. Cu gândul la vreo călătorie îndepărtată, lăsase să-i lunece încet din mână umbrela care-l apărase până atunci şi ploaia, abătându-se de sus, curgea şiroaie de pe borurile pălăriei peste haina îmbibată ca un burete, pentru a se amesteca apoi cu torentul zgomotos din rigolă.Robert Morgand nu băga în seamă hărţuiala răutăcioasă a stihiilor. Nu simţea duşul îngheţat care-i biciuia umerii. Îşi fixa cu atenţie ghetele – dar fără să vadă – atât de preocupat era – cum se transformă în două recife asupra cărora torentul, nemulţumit parcă, se repezea cu plesnetele sale umede.
Toată atenţia lui era îndreptată spre misterioasa activitate a mâinii stângi, ascunsă în buzunar; această mână cântărea, prefirând printre degete, cele câteva monede, în sumă totală de 33,45 franci, pe care le mai numărase de multe ori până atunci.
Francez de origine, ajuns la Londra de şase luni, după o răsturnare bruscă şi nemiloasă a întregii sale vieţi, Robert Morgand îşi pierduse în această dimineaţă postul de profesor, de pe urma căruia îşi câştiga existenţa. Îndată ce constatase – din păcate, prea repede – câţi bani mai avea, ieşise din casă, mergând unde vedea cu ochii, rătăcind pe străzi, în căutarea unei idei salvatoare, până când se oprise, în mod inconştient, în locul unde l-am găsit noi.
Şi problema era următoarea: ce poţi face singur, în această mare Londră, cu 33,45 franci care reprezintă întreaga ta avere?
Problemă anevoioasă. Atât de anevoioasă, încât nu ajunsese s-o rezolve şi începea să creadă că nu va reuşi niciodată.
Robert Morgand, însă, judecând după înfăţişare, nu părea să fie omul care să poată fi descurajat cu uşurinţă.
Toată atenţia lui era îndreptată spre misterioasa activitate a mâinii stângi, ascunsă în buzunar; această mână cântărea, prefirând printre degete, cele câteva monede, în sumă totală de 33,45 franci, pe care le mai numărase de multe ori până atunci.
Francez de origine, ajuns la Londra de şase luni, după o răsturnare bruscă şi nemiloasă a întregii sale vieţi, Robert Morgand îşi pierduse în această dimineaţă postul de profesor, de pe urma căruia îşi câştiga existenţa. Îndată ce constatase – din păcate, prea repede – câţi bani mai avea, ieşise din casă, mergând unde vedea cu ochii, rătăcind pe străzi, în căutarea unei idei salvatoare, până când se oprise, în mod inconştient, în locul unde l-am găsit noi.
Şi problema era următoarea: ce poţi face singur, în această mare Londră, cu 33,45 franci care reprezintă întreaga ta avere?
Problemă anevoioasă. Atât de anevoioasă, încât nu ajunsese s-o rezolve şi începea să creadă că nu va reuşi niciodată.
Robert Morgand, însă, judecând după înfăţişare, nu părea să fie omul care să poată fi descurajat cu uşurinţă.
July 16, 2024
La première partie est un peu longue à se mettre en place, un peu à la manière du Seigneur des Anneaux, mais la seconde partie est bien plus rythmée et intéressante.
Pas mal de traits d'humour bien sentis, des personnages attachants (un peu caricaturaux pour certains, mais ça reste léger), de l'aventure, des histoires d'amour, des trahisons, des rebondissements ... il y en a pour tous les goûts !
J'ai passé un bon moment, un livre où il faut s'accrocher dans la première partie sous peine de passer à côté de son intérêt ... mais les aventures du Commandant Pip, de son fidèle Artimon, de Robert et Roger, des soeurs Lindsay et de leur beau frère, de l'administrateur Thomson, de Van Piperboom, de Baker et companie m'ont fait passer un bon moment.
Un bon Verne (que ce soit Michel ou Jules) :)
Pas mal de traits d'humour bien sentis, des personnages attachants (un peu caricaturaux pour certains, mais ça reste léger), de l'aventure, des histoires d'amour, des trahisons, des rebondissements ... il y en a pour tous les goûts !
J'ai passé un bon moment, un livre où il faut s'accrocher dans la première partie sous peine de passer à côté de son intérêt ... mais les aventures du Commandant Pip, de son fidèle Artimon, de Robert et Roger, des soeurs Lindsay et de leur beau frère, de l'administrateur Thomson, de Van Piperboom, de Baker et companie m'ont fait passer un bon moment.
Un bon Verne (que ce soit Michel ou Jules) :)
March 11, 2023
Seems like Jules Verne really liked controversial stories. Enjoyed this one almost at the very end. First 70% of the book are a tad bit boring.
May 3, 2023
Es super divertido!!!!
October 24, 2012
Divertida novela donde Julio Verne decide dar rienda suelta a su conocida animadversión hacia los "turistas". Esta novela que empieza como una sátira de las agencias de viajes acaba convirtiéndose en una muy buena novela de aventuras en la que no falta la historia de amor entre dos de nuestros protagonistas.
July 1, 2010
一定笑死你
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews