Product Description

Take a journey of imagination.

In this all-time favorite, Phileas Fogg and his manservant set out to win a wager by travelling around the world in 80 days. They embark on a fantastic, action-packed journey into a world filled with danger and beauty, from India to the American frontier.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #513262 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780451529770
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

The Language Itself is a Destination
This book was originally published as episodes in Le Temps in 1873, and they became an immediate sensation. And in a case of life imitating art, the episodes' actual readers wagered on the outcome. The story has protagonist, Phileas Fogg, an English gentleman of comfortably sedentary habits, making a spontaneous wager with other members of his club as to his ability to circumnavigate the globe in eighty days or less. Mind you, the first steam-powered vessel had been launched only thirty years earlier, and steam was still considered auxiliary to sail power. Dependence on the wind for powering ships made the timing of arrival dates quite iffy, and multiple rail and ship connections were a certain source of delay and frustration. For a gentleman to wager what amounted to half of his life savings on the complete avoidance of such delays would have, in those days, amounted to lunacy. It was only with some difficulty that Fogg prevailed on his wagering counterparties to take the bet, since they too were gentlemen.

With twenty-twenty hindsight, many of these late nineteenth century science fiction stories look remarkably droll, and for a modern reader to share the excitement of the original audience, something akin to science fiction is absolutely essential - transporting ourselves back 136 years. Imagine being a resident of a small town anywhere in Europe, and being suddenly hoisted by the power of compellingly written fiction to the back of an elephant in the Indian jungle. Imagine strolling around the streets of Yokohama and joining a band of wandering performers. Imagine fighting off Sioux warriors from the windows of a speeding train. Perhaps imagining being accosted by a Mormon missionary wouldn't be quite so difficult for the modern reader, since that, at least, hasn't changed since the author's day.

But it is not only science, and not only geographic and cultural literacy which has advanced over the intervening century. The craft of fiction has advanced to the point that Jules Verne's narrative in a streaming passive voice makes the book seem antiquarian to a degree that its archaic world view doesn't. The reader willingly suspends disbelief regarding character and plot, but more than an occasional abuse of the passive voice is difficult for the modern reader to accept. It dates the book in a way that the headlining of steam power doesn't.

The reason, though, that the story survives in our imaginations is Jules Verne's exceptional ability to create and maintain tension from page to page. Phileas Fogg gets two days ahead of his schedule, and we eagerly anticipate the setbacks which we know must thwart his program. He gets two days "behindhand," becomes separated from his travelling companions, and we churn with anxiety lest he miss his next critical connection.

The careful reader will find facts and figures which date the book, and only add to its charm, e.g., "Everybody knows...that India has a population of one hundred and eighty million souls." This must have seemed incredible to an England with a population of twenty-two million, but it pales beside the current population, 1.1 billion, a number which science fiction could never have attempted without ridicule. A very brief reference to Chicago, as "already risen from its ruins" places the book one year after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. And while the breadth of Verne's cultural literacy is remarkable for the time, he does manage to get some facts wrong, e.g., the "mangos" he describes are certainly "mangosteens," based on his detailed description.

For a reader of the classics, "Around the World in Eighty Days" is mandatory. For a modern jet-setter, it is a delight. For a student of the history of English literature, the language itself is a destination.

Jules Verne's Guide to Successful Project Management
I just read Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. Besides a great book and a fun read, I found there to be a number of principles in there that are useful for managing and executing any project or undertaking. Without giving away too much of the book if you haven't yet read it, here it goes:

1) Singleness of purpose: Phileas Fogg had one goal in mind. It was not to tour the world and learn about new cultures. It was to win the bet with the Reform Club that he could circumnavigate the globe in 80 days or less. Granted he may have missed out on some chances to learn a new language or receive insight into the way others live, but that was not his goal and he knew it.

2) Availability of resources: It's true that money can't buy you love but it can buy a heckuva lot of other things! Having the cash that he did bailed him and Passapourt out of many a jam throughout their adventure. You should always count the cost before taking on any venture in terms of financial and human resources.

3) Keep a cool head: If Phileas Fogg was nothing else it was unflappable, composed, self-possessed, and cool-as-a-cucumber. No matter what the obstacle, he never lost his composure. Bringing a project in on time and within budget means dealing with all of the issues that come up with coolness, logic, and good decision-making.

4) Openess to risk: Phileas Fogg was willing ot risk his entire venture to save the woman Auoda from death. He was not reckless, however! He was able to work himself into a position to take this risk by getting ahead of schedule where he could afford to try and save the woman. Success in this venture leads to one of the greatest benefits of the entire voyage although he does not know it at the time.

5) Expect the unexpected: Early in the tale when confronted with all the uncertainties involved in his proposed endeavor, Phileas states simply that "The unforeseen does not exist." What he means is that every roadblock can be anticipated with enough foresight. Likewise, we can use careful planning to mitigate many of the possible pitfalls for any given project we undertake.

A great exercise would be to have your young reader (11 or older) read the book and see if they can pull any of these principles out and use it as a discussion starter. Enjoy Jules' fun classic of adventure!!

A TIMELESS CLASSIC


Anyone having seen the movie of the 1950's starring David Niven will be quite familiar with this novel from Jules Verne. None-the-less, the story is a pleasure to read whether one knows the outcome or not.

Jules Verne had wanted to be a writer from childhood but to please his parents (his father was a lawyer) studied to become a lawyer. Trying to combine the requirements of the law and the desires of his heart, he worked for awhile as a lawyer while writing, but eventually switched over to full time writing.

He began to write books of adventure and daring, which led to a string of books some have called 'extraordinary voyages', which include Voyage Around the World, Five Weeks In A Balloon, Journey To The Center Of The Earth, and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. One of the later novels in this long series was the present novel, written from a serious viewpoint but also with touch of comedy, an element previously unknown in the writings of Jules Verne. He confessed to picking up the idea of the story while in a cafe, that it was now possible (1872) to travel around the world in 80 days. With the writing of this novel, Jules Verne, wrote the most popular novel of any of his many books; and to this day, the book remains a classic. One of the unusual features of the story is the manner in which Verne uses, as did Edgar Allen Poe earlier, the international date line to have a major influence on the outcome of the story.

One of the more surprising facts of Jules Verne's life is that he did not travel, even living in Paris amounted to too much noise and busy activity, so he moved north of the city 80 miles or so to his wife's hometown of Amiens, there to live out the remainder of his life in peace and quiet. The closest he got to any travel was the railroad that daily ran past his house. Yes, the author of so many travel and adventure stories never, ever, went traveling himself. So if you read that this most popular novel of his is an armchair adventure book, you can believe it. For its author never ventured forth, with only a couple exceptions, from his armchair either!

Semper Fi.