Around the World in Eighty Days (Illustrated First Edition): 100th Anniversary Collection

Well, my ex got me interested enough in the new miniseries starring David Tennant that I watched it all the way through, and it was obvious to me the story had been reimagined, to say the least. But reimagined by how much? The only way to answer that was to watch other screen adaptations, and so I watched the epic movie from 1956, the miniseries from 1989, the Disney version from 2004 (yikes!), and a cartoon version from 1988. Well, there are common elements, but they're all a bit different too. What to do?Read the original story, I thought to myself. Yes, actually read a book.So I was very thankful to download the Kindle version of this book and read it as a "brain break" as I was working on other things on my computer. The old illustrations were a bonus.Well, it's a great story, apparently so great that nobody can just leave it alone and reproduce it faithfully. The glaring omission from the book is the balloon that seems to have to be in every screen adaptation that I've seen.My takeaway from this story is that in 1872, when it was published, it wasn't science fiction but it was very recently created reality that perhaps few knew about. The Suez canal had just been completed in 1869, passenger steamers to cross huge bodies of water were very recent, as were railroads crossing vast areas of land, as in India and the United States. Most of the stops on the trip were past, present, or soon-to-be British empire colonies. So, it might have been amazing to people of that era that all of a sudden, and with a little planning, a person could actually circle the world in eighty days. And, that probably stood the test of time pretty well until passenger aircraft went mainstream.And, Jules Verne's ending is better than any of the screen adaptations I've watched. It took my by surprise and even got me choked up a bit. Sometimes you've just gotta go back to the source material.

Love these fantastic Verne novels getting quality editions for a fair price. You won't find them this cheap at Barnes and Noble, and their editions are worse off as well. I can't think of many negatives to say here. The font and bindings are nice as always, the cover photo is great, and the work seems well done and edited for errors as usual. High-quality press of a novelist that very few can match.This particular version is from a George M. Towle translation taken from an 1873 edition. It's altogether pretty well done.

Having loved the recent Masterpiece Theater interpretation of this classic story, I wanted to read the book. I am not disappointed. Though the story was completely overhauled by talented PBS people, the original is a beautiful period work of art that I am enjoying very much. The Sea Wolf Press illustrated edition is a bonus part of the experience--very readable font (easy on aging eyes) and physically easy to hold, with a jacketless cover that is comfortably tactile. I will be buying more Seawolf Press editions of classics.

I’m reading classics with my son. Why aren’t these read in schools?? This book is fantastic! My son (age 10) and I both enjoyed this book. And also Journey to the Center of the Earth, also by Jules Verne. Excellent books that I have recommended since reading them. Will definitely continue reading Jules Verne.

These editions are just beautiful. Lots of illustrations help to put you in the time period . Lots of action moves the story along. I wanted to see how it compared to the David Tenet series on Masterpiece. They did a great job of updating the plot for a modern time. The David Niven movie was much closer to the book and had wonderful location shots. Still it is worth while to see the bones of a great story that will be retold and updated for generations. And once again these Sea Wolf editions are beautiful things.

great story

This is an old classic I had never previously read, and it was a great find to get this book as it was originally published. The plus is that I counted 54 full page illustrations that enhanced the story. This book is a nice addition to the book shelf of classics. Jules Verne wrote many books that in his time were about the future, and reading this for the first time made me want to read more of the author.

Jules Verne wrote a delightful adventure book, featuring escapades and wonderful characters. He does talk some about colonialization, so no need to watch the terrible, recent BBC anachronistic production. Read the book with the original illustrations, and follow Phileas Fogg and Passspartout as they try to make it Around the World in 80 Days.