Around the World in Eighty Days: 1873 Edition, Illustrated
- ISBN-10
- 1520506988
- ISBN-13
- 9781520506982
- Series
- Around the World in Eighty Days
- Pages
- 225
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2017-02
- Author
- Jules Verne
Description
1873 edition, illustrated"Around the World in Eighty Days" is a classic adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, published in 1873. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a £20,000 wager set by his friends at the Reform Club. It is one of Verne's most acclaimed works.The book was written during difficult times, both for France and for Verne. It was during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) in which Verne was conscripted as a coastguard; he was having financial difficulties (his previous works were not paid royalties); his father had died recently. Despite all this, Verne was excited about his work on the new book, the idea of which came to him one afternoon in a Paris café while reading a newspaper.Verne is often characterized as a futurist or science fiction author but there is not a glimmer of science fiction in this, his most popular work. Rather than any futurism, it remains a memorable portrait of the British Empire "on which the sun never sets" shortly before its peak, drawn by an outsider. It is interesting to note that, until 2006, no critical editions were written.The closing date of the novel, 21 December 1872, was the same date as the serial publication. As it was being published serially for the first time, some readers believed that the journey was actually taking place, bets were placed, and some railway companies and ship liner companies lobbied Verne to appear in the book.Although a journey by balloon has become one of the images most strongly associated with the story, this iconic symbol was never deployed by Verne -- the idea is briefly brought up in chapter 32, but dismissed. However the popular 1956 movie adaptation Around the World in Eighty Days floated the balloon idea, and it has now become a part of the mythology of the story, even appearing on book covers.
