A Journey to the Centre of the Earth and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Used - Acceptable | See details
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading A Journey to the Centre of the Earth on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

Journey to the Centre of the Earth [Paperback]

Jules Verne , Robert Baldick
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (341 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student

Amazon.com Textbooks Store
Shop the Amazon.com Textbooks Store and save up to 70% on textbook rentals, 90% on used textbooks and 60% on eTextbooks.

Book Description

October 30, 1965 0140022651 978-0140022650
It was a secret message by an ancient alchemist, found on a crumbling scrap of parchment. And if Saknussemm was right, then every theory about the molten core of the earth is wrong. Prof. Otto Lidenbrock has to learn the truth. So Lidenbrock, his nephew Axel, and the Icelandic hunter Hans climb down the cone of an arctic volcano and into...


Editorial Reviews

Review

Novel by Jules Verne, published in 1864 in French as Voyage au centre de la Terre. It is the second book in his popular science-fiction series Voyages extraordinaires (1863-1910). Otto Lidenbrock, an impetuous German professor of geology, discovers an encoded manuscript in which a 16th-century explorer claims to have found a passageway to the center of the Earth. Otto impulsively prepares a subterranean expedition, enlisting his young nephew Axel and a stoic Icelandic guide, Hans Bjelke. After descending into an extinct volcano in Iceland, the men spend several months in a underground world of luminous rocks, antediluvian forests, and fantastic sea creatures until they ride a volcanic eruption out of Stromboli Island, off the coast of Italy. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books (October 30, 1965)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140022651
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140022650
  • Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 0.9 x 7.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (341 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,293,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
123 of 129 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Different Versions? June 19, 2005
Format:Mass Market Paperback
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
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).
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Three explorers go to the center of the earth August 1, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
It's one of my favorite adventure novels. I really enjoyed reading it in English for the first time. Great narrative.
Published 8 hours ago by Mel2011
3.0 out of 5 stars Eh
I originally read the abridged version by Puffin's Classics and I absolutely hated it! It was awful. I went out and got this version, and it was... all right. Read more
Published 5 days ago by QueenOfSages
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappeared.2
I loaded the book to my Android tablet to have reading material for a trip I was taking. One day, all of my library choices just DISAPPEARED from my library.
Published 10 days ago by mcampey
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read!
I have read this book many times and never gets tired of reading it again. I'm transported each time to the centre of the earth.
Published 10 days ago by vanity
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it! :)
It's a great story of hope and perseverance,dedication and joy. I believe everyone should read this book. It also has some very interesting scientific theories.
Published 14 days ago by PA Consumer
3.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL TEXT?!
I bought this book after I had run out of money on my giftcard just because it was free.But before I buy books I ALWAYS check the custumer reviews. Read more
Published 14 days ago by yummytulip:)
5.0 out of 5 stars Oops...
Everything I wrote about The Mysterious Island belongs here--haven't read that one yet, but it is on my list...soon! Read more
Published 19 days ago by Allrie
3.0 out of 5 stars Ok story
This is one of the classics that I had always heard of but had only seen movies of it. This a story worth reading.
Published 20 days ago by Wraptor
5.0 out of 5 stars Review on the Bantam Classic Paperback Book AND The Kindle Version
This is a review on the Bantam Classic paperback book and the free Kindle version of Journey to The Centre of the Earth. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Joy
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite
I picked up this book and could not put it down. This is what I crave for in good books, the ability to be able to transform myself into the book. I loved it, and that is all.
Published 27 days ago by Ruth Torres
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Forums

Topic From this Discussion
Volcano science fiction Be the first to reply
Have something you'd like to share about this product?
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions


So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category