 Frontispiece of 1871 edition | |
| Author | Jules Verne |
|---|---|
| Original title | Vingt Mille Lieues sous les mers |
| Illustrator | Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou |
| Language | French |
| Series | Voyages extraordinaires Captain Nemo #1 |
| Genre | Adventure, Science fiction[1] |
| Publisher | Pierre-Jules Hetzel |
Publication date | March 1869 to June 1870 (as serial) 1870 (book form) |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1872 |
| Preceded by | In Search of the Castaways |
| Followed by | Around the Moon |
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (French: Vingt Mille Lieues sous les mers) is a science fiction adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne. It is often considered a classic within both its genres and world literature. The novel was originally serialised from March 1869 to June 1870 in Pierre-Jules Hetzel's French fortnightly periodical, the Magasin d'éducation et de récréation. A deluxe octavo edition, published by Hetzel in November 1871, included 111 illustrations by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou.[2]
The book was widely acclaimed on its release, and remains so; it is regarded as one of the premier adventure novels and one of Verne's greatest works, along with Around the World in Eighty Days and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Its depiction of Captain Nemo's submarine, the Nautilus, is regarded as ahead of its time, since it accurately describes many features of modern submarines, which in the 1860s were comparatively primitive vessels.
Jules Verne saw a model of the French submarine Plongeur at the Exposition Universelle in 1867, which inspired him while writing the novel.[3][4][5]
- ^ Canavan, Gerry (2018). The Cambridge History of Science Fiction. Cambridge University Press. (ISBN 978-1-31-669437-4)
- ^ Dehs, Volker; Jean-Michel Margot; Zvi Har'El, "The Complete Jules Verne Bibliography: I. Voyages Extraordinaires", Jules Verne Collection, Zvi Har’El, retrieved 2012-09-06
- ^ Payen, J. (1989). De l'anticipation à l'innovation. Jules Verne et le problème de la locomotion mécanique.
- ^ Notice at the Musée de la Marine, Rochefort
- ^ Compère, D. (2006). Jules Verne: bilan d'un anniversaire. Romantisme, (1), 87-97.