A Travel Gem of the 19th Century: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Book Review
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
First Published in French in 1872; first English translation in 1873
This Edition Published in 2004 by Penguin Classics

It feels wonderful to find old and entertaining masterpieces, and this is one of them. Written shortly after the American trans-continental railroad, the linking of the Indian railways, and the Suez Canal were completed, Jules Verne was the first to capture the imagination of the public-at-large about circumnavigating the world.

The fictional character Phileas Fogg of London, reads in the Daily Telegraph that it is may now be possible to travel around the world in 80 days:

"From London to Suez via Mont Cenis and

Brindisi, by rail and steamboats ................. 7 days
From Suez to Bombay, by steamer .................... 13 ‘
From Bombay to Calcutta, by rail ................... 3 ‘
From Calcutta to Hong Kong, by steamer ............. 13 ‘
From Hong Kong to Yokohama (Japan), by steamer ..... 6 ‘
From Yokohama to San Francisco, by steamer ......... 22 ‘
From San Francisco to New York, by rail ............. 7 ‘
From New York to London, by steamer and rail ........ 9 ‘
Total ............................................ 80 days."

He then makes a £20,000 bet with his friends at the Reform Club that he can accomplish the journey in that time.

Whether or not Philleas Fogg makes the trip in the allotted time, the reader will have to find out, but it is acceptable to state that his journey around the world is highly entertaining.

For the history of the novel, see this Wikipedia article (the Nellie Bly connection is very interesting). Also note that this book is not copyrighted in the U.S. and is available for free here (PDF format).