20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Signet Classics)

This is a beautiful cover sleeve for this book! My husband asked for the classic books for Christmas and he loves them all!

Jules Verne's ability to predict the technology of the future is remarkable. Of course he doesn't get everything right, but surely the designers of submarines have used some of his ideas.I find it disappointing right from the beginning of 20K leagues, that his class discrimination precludes him from showing his characters in a believable light. Because of this, I would recommend some parental guidance when suggesting it for young readers.

I can still remember reading 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA for the first time as a kid. I was fascinated by submarines and captivated by the story of this wonderful ship, capable of making all my dreams come true. I wanted to dive beneath the waves and accompany Professor Aronnax on his incredible journey. Reading it again after many years, I find that I am still impressed by the story. Not only is it quite prophetic for its day & age, the fact that the story is STILL captivating after all these years just goes to show that great literature is timeless. In what follows, my comments shall refer to the Bantam version of the novel, translated by Anthony Bonner. This translation (or another suitably modern translation) is critical to getting the most out of this novel, as I will touch upon later.There is something for everyone in this book. On the one hand, the reader is treated to a very scientific (at times, "too" scientific for many readers) tale of undersea exploration, mixed with a tale of adventure and intrigue. The Nautilus carries us to every ocean of the world, exploring the South Pole, the lost city of Atlantis, shipwrecks, a mysterious tunnel between the Arabian and Mediterranean seas, and so much more. On the other hand, Jules Verne has also managed to flesh out a human story, one focused on Captain Nemo and his mysterious past and hatred for Western civilization. While the "kid" in you will have your eyes fixed on the Nautilus's glass portal that reveals the wonders of the deep, the "adult" in you will be rapidly trying to figure out exactly "who" this captain is and why he has built this ship, capable of removing him permanently from society.Many have complained about Verne's tendency to lose the story for endless lists of scientific classification. It is not hard to see their point. Verne does go on and on about species of fish in a manner that loses the reader's interest after a short while. But there is nothing to prevent you from skimming over these passages and moving onto the story. That's what I do and I don't think I've sacrificed a thing in doing so. Moreover, I would recommend that you keep an atlas or wold map handy when you are reading. It is much more fun to read this novel if you can actually track where they are at each point in the novel.Those coming to this novel from the movies will either be happily impressed or disappointed. While the films borrow heavily from the novel, they tend to focus on certain elements of the story (enhancing the action) while forgetting about others. This is not the tale of a madman, destined to hunt and destroy ever ocean-going vessel he comes across. It is so much more than that. In fact, my only complaint (and I have similar complaints for many authors) is that Verne seems to have been at a loss for how to end the novel. Therefore, he hands us a "deus ex machine" ending, of gigantic proportions. However, despite this minor flaw, the novel still holds up to modern scrutiny and remains enjoyable throughout.While this translation is much, much better than the cheap translations you find from the "bargain" publishing houses, I have heard that the recent, fully-annotated version is even better. Make sure that, when searching for a copy, that you get one of the modern translations (like the Bonner) and stay away from "quick & dirty" versions that you can find for a couple of dollars. Many of these cheap translations omit a full quarter of the novel and contain numerous errors. Additionally, they render the French into archaic English, ensuring that you will not enjoy the novel as much as you could. So, my advice is to stay away from the "bargain" versions-they aren't a bargain at all. But do read 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. You'll be happy you did.

Purchased this one , because it is the best translation to date . Have read The Easton Press edition twice . There is no comparison . Do not as I did , buy for the nice cover . Paperback , it may be , but this edition gives you the entire text and better 'wording' . Recomended .

Many who read this classic, very early work of science fiction will complain about the lists. Oh the lists! The countless words, commas, scientific classifications, and rampant cataloging of sea creatures and sea plants. Yes, Verne occasionally provides some curious and interesting descriptions of these plants and beasts to help paint the setting, but many times he simply lists them in typical travelogue fashion (i.e. I saw this, and then this, and then this, and then we saw this eat that.). I count myself among these nay-sayers--to an extent. I'll admit to having my eyes gloss over the lists.That said, I also fond myself perusing the internet to look up some of these crazy beasties and subsequently fall into a loop of YouTube videos to see them in action. Verne did that too. And that's good writing--making someone want to learn. Even when Verne got some of the descriptions wrong (though he probably had them right for the knowledge that was available at the time), he still opened up the sea to me, just as well as a fantasy writer might create a new world - except I live this world and these things do exist and I can check them out on the internet (or in person if I ever wanted to go the non-virtual route). So, while I did feel the listing went on ad nauseum- it also drew me in at times.Verne has interesting characters in his book, which can easily be dismissed as "flat" by the casual reader. Professor Aronnax, the chief protagonist is a true professor at heart. He is drawn into the wondrous scientific adventure unfolding around him and finds it difficult to resist. He's balanced against the other protagonist, a Canadian Harpooner who is a man of action and common sense that prefers to make decisions based on his instincts. In between them is Conceil, Aronnax's agreeable sidekick. All these characters seem to fulfill a role and play to their respective typecasts throughout the story. However, they do grow (albeit slowly), even though their actions and words might seem generic at first. The pieces eventually fall in place, and we see that Aronnax cannot rationalize everything for the mere scientific adventure of it all. Land's cantankerous attitude is fitting, and we watch him struggle when it fully sets in that he is trapped in an environment that stifles his attributes as a hard-working "doer." In fact, Land's bitterness and gut-instincts prove to be the grounding force to which Aronnax must cling when things go bad for the protagonists. Even the reticent and happy-go-lucky Conceil makes a transition by developing a bond with the increasingly disagreeable Land-as if he thinks the Professor might be too far adrift in the sea of academia.Then there is Captain Nemo. He's the farthest from flat among all the characters in this book. At first, he is a fearless and seemingly unbeatable force of stalwart principle. Admittedly, Nemo is kept in the shadows for most of the book. He is off screen a lot, and when he comes back on stage it is usually with much bravado. Also, he never really fails in what he does. Yet, the little nuggets of insight, which Jules Verne does reveal, tumble out with significance. These short glimpses into this compelling character paint an inner darkness that is interesting and disturbing. The plot of Captain Nemo, in and of itself is excellent and fitting.It's hard to review this book without at least mentioning how far-seeing Verne was by writing about submarines, tasers, and untethered underwater breathing devices that didn't exist at the time. This is the stuff of "great" science fiction. These elements of hard science and using the minds creativity to go beyond the limits of contemporary advancements are amazing. What a great mind.Oh yeah, there's adventure too! Verne's hard science is intermixed with a good number of dramatic conflicts. Sometimes they are simply man versus beast. Other times he pits the men against Mother Nature. Then there is the subtle man versus man conflict between Captain Nemo and his uninvited "guests." Some of these scenes are downright tense, and they get better and better as the story progresses.Captain Nemo's slow but compelling rise to the surface gives this adventure enough buoyancy to savor the flavor of a Victorian travelogue (and early science fiction progenitor).Verne also had some interesting progressive views going on in this book. For example, the characters make admonishments about over-fishing. Yet, this book is about seamen, so plenty of good fishing takes place. It's perhaps an interesting conflict, yet a refreshingly realistic viewpoint as these types of issues are not often so black and white.The adventure aspect of this story works too. The oceans come alive. Besides his descriptions of underwater flora and fauna, Verne's description of things like the "Gulf Stream" give you a better sense of the various ecosystems that inhabit this planet and how they fit together--very cool. Like a master fantasy writer, Verne makes the sea seem as foreign and as familiar as a made-up world.My only regret is that this is a work of translation and apparently, some of the English translations of this book cut out significant portions of the author's original work. I can only wonder how the author's work reads in his native tongue. What did I lose out on? Even still, I enjoyed the work and not just for what it is or given the context of its time. Mostly I enjoyed this story for the traveling undersea adventure that made me want to learn a bit more about the world's oceans.Podcast: If you enjoy my review (or this topic) this book and the movie based on it were further discussed/debated in a lively discussion on my podcast: "No Deodorant In Outer Space". The podcast is available on iTunes or our website.

Ok when it arrived today and I opened the box and found the book was wrapped in a walmart bag, I was a little nervous. However it looks like many of the books I own and has some wear on the dust cover and spine. Overall an excellent purchase, I have been looking for this edition since my kids brought it home from the school library. One in this excellent condition is a great find and since 200000 leagues under the sea was the first serious book I read, it has a special place in my heart.

This story is one of the classics and for those ready for the journey one that is certainly worth a read.A word of warning to those thinking that is resembles a Walt Disney film, the book is far more of a biologist saga rather than an outright adventure although it is that too.Very prophetic in so many technical ways even when compared with to today.Most people know that basic story and it is of course a great one.

Condition of the paperback- 10/10About the book- this is by Jules Verne, perfect to gift to those who are into classics and science fiction.

The media could not be loaded.  Es una traducción al inglés de un libro orinal en francés. Son 460 páginas en letra grande. Esperaba algo más manejable. Por ejemplo, la mitad de páginas en letra mucho más pequeña.

Very small book which I love.I’m curious to read it.

The book is very small, I should have searching more about that, because it have ONLY 56 pages! However, the figures is very beautiful, what turns to be out of great help to those one who want a immersive visual experience.