Customer Reviews

A Journey to the Center of the Earth

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(44)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Yes there are different versions, The best one is the original in French. There are more than one translations into english, one with the Main character's name as Harry, the other as Axel.

I read the 'Harry' version first, but only partway through as it was terrible! I thought Verne was a bad writter or something. But, when I was older, I found another copy (Puffin Classics btw), and I thought I'd give it another go. That was one of the best books I had ever read, it funny and imaginative. The characters even had character!

Well, I looked into it, and compared my new version with the first book I had read and both of them with the original. Mine was pretty close. The names were kept the same, most of the sentences were similar in structure (so that someone like me who can't read french could tell that they were the same book).

The 'Harry version' however, invented entire chapters out of thin air, discarded others and changed significant plot points. I hope this helps some of you decide which one to get, and that there is more than one translation.

If the book starts with:

"ON 24 May 1863, a Sunday, my uncle, Professor Lidenbrock, came rushing back towards his little house at No.19 Konigstrasse, one of the oldest streets..."

You know you have the good version.

Otherwise, I love this book and would recomend it to anyone, whether a science fiction fan or not.

This kindle edition is based on the 1871 translation which slightly abridged and altered Verne's original (for example, the Professor is here named Hardwigg, rather than the original's Lidenbrock, and his niece is here named Gretchen rather than Grauben). That's probably the most generally known English translation (it's the one I read obsessively as a child), and it's still a great read, but sticklers for textual accuracy might want to do a little more searching.

As to the novel itself, while unquestionably one of Verne's masterpieces in terms of story, it's probably the one that's aged the hardest of all Verne's works, and almost all of the science in this text has been exploded, modified, or simply changed by the intervening hundred and fifty-odd years of scientific development. Because Verne was in part intending this book to be a source of scientific education, the characters spend a lot of time talking about geology, archaeology, etc., to each other, and since most of that's outdated now, modern readers may want to skip over the more scientific chunks of the book and simply read it as an exploration tale.

From that perspective, the most interesting thing about this book might be that it's arguably the progenitor of the "Lost Prehistoric World" genre, and readers who want more in that vein might want to look up later books that focused more squarely on modern-explorers-in-dinosaur-country stories, such as Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, or Edgar Rice Burrough's novel _The Land that Time Forgot_ or his _Pellucidar_ series (explicitly set in the hollow interior of the globe).

This is a classic novel by Jules Verne. In the story, Professor Hardwigg and his nephew Harry discover an ancient parchment by an alchemist named Arne Saknussemm. They travel to Iceland and climb an extinct volcano called Sneffels. With them is the Icelandic hunter Hans. They journey into the center of the earth, in which Harry gets lost. They come upon and ocean and cross it. While they are on the sea they witness a battle of ancient sea monsters. Eventually they are thrown out of a volcano on Stromboli, an island in Italy. This was a wonderful book, but sometimes it went into too much detail. Still, a classic five star book. I don't see why anyone would give it 4 1/2 stars. It is simply absurd. I recommened this book to anyone with a good imagination.

This book proves Verne's greatness as a writer of fiction. The science in this science fiction flies largely in the face of modern science, yet the read is no less gripping today than it was in its infancy. The story is pretty simple. Professor Lidenbrock, a neurotically impatient scientist, discovers a cryptic manuscript written by a long-dead explorer; with the help of his nephew, he decodes the cryptogram to read an account of a journey to the center of the earth begun beneath a dormant volcano in Iceland. The nephew, Axel, a talented geologist and mineralogist himself, refuses to believe that the core of the earth is not exceedingly hot; additionally, he cares more about Grauben, the eccentric professor's ward, than risking his life on a scientific adventure. He proves unable to dissuade his uncle and thus joins with him on a journey to Iceland. There, they hire a stoic Icelander to lead them down into the earth. Most of the action takes place underground, with the adventurers suffering several trials, daring risks, and finally discovering a whole new world hidden miles below the earth's crust. The ultimate trial and danger they face consists of returning to the surface.

Axel narrates the story, and the strength of the novel lies in his character. The professor and the Icelandic guide are unusual personalities, but Axel is very real and easy to relate to. He really does not want to go in the first place, and he is most liable to greet dangers and risks by bemoaning his fate and declaring his party done for in their foolish efforts. It is he who suffers the most privation when the men's water runs out, and it is he who finds himself lost in the utter blackness of the caverns for three days. When things are going well, though, Axel becomes wildly excited about the mission and temporarily forgets about his fears. This all goes to make him a very sympathetic character. Without him, the story would be a rather dispassionate account of an impossible journey by bland, unbelievable characters. You do have to shift your mind into low gear a few times when the characters begin speaking about the different types of minerals and rocks they are encountering, but overall the plot is rather thrilling, and you cannot help but begin early on trying to ascertain a way in which the intrepid explorers can return to share their discoveries with a skeptical scientific community. Verne knows how to tell a story, and you don't have to know a single thing about science to enjoy this novel immensely.

This is an exiting book full of adventure. It is about three people named Hans, Professer Hardwigg and his nephew Harry. The story takes place when Professer Hardwigg discovers a piece of parchment with the name of a famous explorer that went to the center of the Earth. Professer Hardwigg wants to do the same. They climb in to Mt.Sneffles with a guide named Hans. They have lots of adventures with prehistoric animals and travel in places you wouldn't even expect. The ending is very exiting but you will have to read it to find out. I recomend this book to people who like adventure stories. I think it is a great book .

This is a wonderful book by Jules Verne but this is just a terrible translation. Just read the first page of the preview and you will see. e.g. "Our good Martha could not but think she was very much behind-hand with the dinner" Is that even English? Seek out William Butcher's wonderful translation of this great story by Verne.

This is some sort of re-write, perhaps for American audiences? It's not nearly as good writing as the original. Get the original for free at [...]. The version I am reading was published in 1906.

Everyone should read some Jules Vernes. A late 19th century French writer, he influenced many people with his enthusiasm for things scientific. In Voyage, the protagonists are a scientist (who discovers a message indicating a journey to the center of the earth is possible), his reluctant nephew, and the quiet-man native guide. An expedition is organized immediately, and the adventure begins. Once you get past the writing style which may be strange to the modern reader, and you suspend your disbelief on certain things (like just how many supplies they were capable of carrying), the tale can captivate. Here is a writer who relishes the scientific advances and discoveries of his age, and is writing about them. The reader can absorb the geologic understandings of the period, as well as the way in which the scientific community operated. It is the age of the gentleman scientist, the ancestor to Indiana Jones. And Verne's delight is infectious. By modern standards it's less exciting than, say, a Jurassic Park. But there's underground seas, strange animals and plants, delirious visions, and hardships of thirst and being lost in the dark to entertain you. Be aware of different translations: our book group had much hilarity discovering the differences in our editions: some seemed edited and condensed compared to the others (and as it's not copyright protected, some of our tattered paperbacks didn't even give the original date or the translator's name), some had wonderful illustrations, some had illustrations that apparently were for a different book, and some had none. Some editions had footnotes, which were interesting in their own way, apparently dating from the original French. There are even different names for the uncle and nephew. Judging from my translation (one of the uncredited ones), it's no great literary effort. But it's entertaining enough to keep one reading, and to amazed at this seminal storyteller and his influences on many who followed him.

"In 1864 Jules Verne published 'Journey to the Center of the Earth,' the charming narrative of the adventures of a party of three, led by a German professor of mineralogy - the irascible mad-scientist type - who have lowered themselves into an extinct volcanic crater."

This is a classic novel by Jules Verne. In the story, Professor Hardwigg and his nephew Harry discover an ancient parchment by an alchemist named Arne Saknussemm. They travel to Iceland and climb an extinct volcano called Sneffels. With them is the Icelandic hunter Hans. They journey into the center of the earth, in which Harry gets lost. They come upon and ocean and cross it. While they are on the sea they witness a battle of ancient sea monsters. Eventually they are thrown out of a volcano on Stromboli, an island in Italy. This was a wonderful book, but sometimes it went into great detail.
This is a must read!

(For the movie fans I must add that the movie follows only about 65% of the book narrative. And even though it is good, it will not give you the full story.)

Jules Verne is definitely the father and master of science fiction. In this book, he chronicles the adventures of a German professor, his nephew, and an Icelandic guide into the depths of the earth. When I read it, it was very different from what I expected. Having been exposed to various film and television versions of this story, I imagined some sort of drilling machine was involved. Also, I had thought that there was some interaction with primitive tribes in the underground realm.

On reading this book, you'll discover a very different story. The professor buys and old book, and finds an ancient manuscript written by a famous alchemist in which the alchemist claims to have journeyed to the center of the Earth. The professor inspired by this claim rushes to Iceland to retrace the alchemist's footsteps. He drags his reluctant nephew along with him, and hires a guide in Iceland. These three men proceed to walk into the crater of a volcano, and they follow the empty lava tubes into the depths of the Earth. This is more of a survival story than anything else. They face shortages of food, water, light, and more. Verne really knows how to keep a story moving. For adventure fans, this is a great book to read!