Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

French novelist Jules Verne – “the man who invented the future”- captured and intensified the human impulse to explore the world’s hidden regions. This prophetic 1870 adventure novel, which centers on a fabulous underwater craft commanded by the brilliant and mysterious Captain Nemo, was written well before the development of the deep-water submarine. Combining splendid scientific achievements with a host of common, everyday events, the story brims with intricate descriptions of a futuristic vessel and bizarre scenes of life on the ocean’s bottom. Sights include the Red Sea coral, wreckage from a historic naval battle, Antarctic ice shelves, and the mythical city of Atlantis. Rousing adventures range from a confrontation with a giant squid to an encounter with belligerent cannibals. The crowning achievement of Verne’s literary career, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea influenced H G Wells and generations of writers, inspired numerous films, and continues to captivate readers of all ages.