This adventure novel follows three men aboard Captain Nemo's submarine, the Nautilus. An underwater hunting trip takes readers into the sea forests near Crespo Island.
375 pages 7h 16m reading time
A founding classic of science fiction and one of the most translated novels in the world.
Imagines a world under the sea, years before real submarines could make such long voyages, as a place full of wonders that people could explore with science and machines.
Portrays Captain Nemo as a brilliant man who turns his back on the nations of the land, raising questions about freedom, revenge, and the power of technology.
Inspired real inventors and explorers, including submarine pioneer Simon Lake, and the first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, was named after Nemo's ship.
Gave the world lasting images, such as Captain Nemo and the giant squid attack, that have been retold in many films, comics, and later stories.
Nemo's hidden first identity
Verne first made Nemo a Polish rebel, but his publisher had him hide it to avoid angering Russia.
A famous writer's suggestion
The novelist George Sand wrote to Verne urging him to write an adventure story set under the sea.
Written partly at sea
Verne wrote parts of it aboard his own small boat, which he used as a floating office.
Badly cut in English
The best-known early English translation cut about a quarter of the story and added many mistakes.
Jules Verne 1869