Complete Works of Jules Verne

Jules Verne, a 19th century French author, is famed for such revolutionary science-fiction novels as 'Around the World in Eighty Days' and 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.'

Synopsis

Born in Nantes, France, in 1828, Jules Verne pursued a writing career after finishing law school. He hit his stride after meeting publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel, who nurtured many of the works that would comprise the author's Voyages Extraordinaires. Often referred to as the "Father of Science Fiction," Verne wrote books about a variety of innovations and technological advancements years before they were practical realities. Although he died in 1905, his works continued to be published well after his death, and he became the second most translated author in the world.

Early Years

Jules Verne was born on February 8, 1828, in Nantes, France, a busy maritime port city. There, Verne was exposed to vessels departing and arriving, sparking his imagination for travel and adventure. While attending boarding school, he began to write short stories and poetry. Afterward, his father, a lawyer, sent his oldest son to Paris to study law.

A Writing Career Begins

While he tended to his studies, Jules Verne found himself attracted to literature and the theater. He began frequenting Paris' famed literary salons, and befriended a group of artists and writers that included Alexandre Dumas and his son. After earning his law degree in 1849, Verne remained in Paris to indulge his artistic leanings. The following year, his one-act play Broken Straws (Les Pailles rompues) was performed.

Verne continued to write despite pressure from his father to resume his law career, and the tension came to a head in 1852, when Verne refused his father's offer to open a law practice in Nantes. The aspiring writer instead took a meager-paying job as secretary of the Théâtre-Lyrique, giving him the platform to produce Blind Man's Bluff (Le Colin‑maillard) and The Companions of the Marjolaine (Les Compagnons de la Marjolaine).

This collection contain the following:

I.    Introduction
II.    Five Weeks in a Balloon
III.    The English at the North Pole
IV.    The Field of Ice
V.    Journey to the Interior of the Earth
VI.    From the Earth to the Moon
VII.    Round the Moon
VIII.    In Search of the Castaways
IX.    Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
X.    Around the World in 80 Days
XI.    The Fur Country
XII.    The Mysterious Island
XIII.    The Survivors of the Chancellor
XIV.    Michael Strogoff
XV.    The Underground City
XVI.    Off on a Comet
XVII.    Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon
XVIII.    Robur the Conqueror
XIX.    The Master of the World
XX.    A Drama in the Air
XXI.    Master Zacharius
XXII.    A Winter Amid the Ice
XXIII.    Doctor Ox’s Experiment
XXIV.    In the Year 2889
XXV.    ROBUR THE CONQUEROR
XXVI.    Works of Jules Verne