- Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Oxford University Press (29 Sep 1977)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0195800850
- ISBN-13: 978-0195800852
- Product Dimensions: 13.7 x 10.4 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,054,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For some reason, I always envisioned a hot air balloon when I thought of Around the World in Eighty Days; in point of fact, a hot air balloon is about the only means of transportation not employed by Phileas Fogg in his circumnavigational sojourn (though it is given a fleeting thought by the hero at one point). Fogg is an interesting character, a man who takes punctuality to an unheard of degree. Basically, his whist partners at the Reform Club tell him there is no way to go around the globe in just 80 days, notwithstanding the fact that a detailed itinerary involving specific boats and trains promises to make it possible. Fogg immediately bets half his fortune that he can do it, setting out on his journey that very night. Passepartout, his newly hired manservant, finds himself dragged along on this historic journey. It so happens that someone matching a description of Fogg has just robbed the Bank of England of 55,000 pounds, and a detective named Fix "discovers" his robber when Fogg arrives in Suez. He wires England with the news and asks for an arrest warrant to be issued; before it arrives, Fogg is off again. Fix finds himself joining in on Fogg's epic journey, waiting for the warrant to reach him on his way, then waiting to arrest Fogg when he steps back on English soil. The travelers face many perils and stumbling blocks along their way, many brought about by Passeportout's naivete and later on by his selfless act of heroism. At every turn, Fogg finds himself in need of alternate transportation methods; he employs, among other vehicles, an elephant, a bridge-jumping train, and a wind-propelled sled. A series of uncommon adventures unfold, involving damsels in distress, Indian attacks, matters of honor, etc. All these events come to a climax the day on which he is due back at the Reform Club.
There is not really much science in this fiction; instead, there is a good bit of geography; the stretches of text explaining the route from one place to another is rather boring to me personally. Luckily, most of the book is full of action. Throughout, the interesting Mr. Fogg remains as calm and placid as a cucumber while Passepartout provides some comic relief by continually finding himself in some sort of trouble. Most of the actors come across as rather wooden and artificial, but the story is good and the ending is quite satisfactory. The reading of this book led me to conjecture that this was one of Verne's earlier works because the characters here are rather drab compared to those in From the Earth to the Moon and because the pages are not weighed down by scientific terminology as in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; actually, it is one of his later novels.
Around the World in Eighty Days would well serve the purpose of introducing a Verne newbie to his writing. If you want to see glimpses of Verne's prophetic scientific ideas, though, this is probably not the book for you; it is best suited for recreational reading.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really think this classic tale of travel and adventure is indispensable for any decent book collection. In comparison with the dated and crusty translations used in most modern reprints, this new edition contains clarity of expression and lively prose that kept me engrossed in Phileas Fogg's incredible odyssey around the globe. By reading Around the World in Eighty Days it is possible to recapture that lost sense of travel, characterised by crossing frontiers, improvisation and self-control whatever the circumstances. Armchair travelling it may be, but it is still much more pleasurable than the bland consumption of foreign cultures that most tourists are fed! Simply a great read.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Phileas Fogg was an English gentleman, phlegmatic and obsessed with exact time. He had no wife, children, relatives or close friends. He was quite rich and lived alone with one manservant, a Frenchman named Jean Passepartout, but he spent most of this time at the Reform Club in London's Pall Mall, where he had his lunch and dinner, read his newspaper and played cards.
One day, during a discussion about a bank robbery, he bet 20,000 pounds that he could travel around the world in 80 days or less. So, accompanied by Passepartout and carrying just a small overnight bag and a very big amount of money, he starts from London for his extraordinary voyage...The ending of the book is very unexpected.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fogg's journey is a transport of delight
For some reason I had never before got round to reading this classic, nor seen any of the adaptations on screen, despite my enjoyment of other Verne works, especially 'Journey to... Read more
Published 1 month ago by David Williams
A heart-warming classic
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
Reviewed by Heena Pala
Around the World in Eighty Days is a fascinating book about a wealthy yet modest man called... Read more
Reviewed by Heena Pala
Around the World in Eighty Days is a fascinating book about a wealthy yet modest man called... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Heena
The Secret of the Book
The book "Round the World in Eighty Days" was written by Jules Verne. It is about the adventurous life of Phileas Fogg who is living quietly in London. Read more
Published 13 months ago by lagouge
He hadn't got the Fogg-iest of how to travel...
Jules Verne, a hugely prolific writer whose works include "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" was born in Nantes in 1828. Read more
Published on 23 Dec 2009 by Craobh Rua
Money makes the world go round
I'm trying to fill the gaps in my reading of older novels at the moment so picked this edition up when browsing recently. Read more
Published on 23 Jan 2009 by Mr Stevens
Too Flat To Be A Classic
The tale of an Englishman who bets he can travel the world in eighty days, and the adventures had in this tight time limit. Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2008 by Chris Burnaby
A pleasant classic
'Around the World in Eighty Days' is nothing less than a pleasant classic, suitable for all ages. The novel follows the travels of Mr Fogg, whose is job is to fulfil a bet... Read more
Published on 23 Jun 2008 by GreenMan
Classic adventure novel
"Round The World In Eighty Days" is a classic adventure novel written by the French writer Jules Verne and first published in 1873. Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2007 by A reader
All the way
Its always worth reading a classic, this is one of the best! This is a story that children know, its been films, cartoons, plays. Everything! Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2006 by aceadrian
Something that everyone should read!
This is a fantastic tale of adventure that really feeds the imagination. The storyline is gripping, varied and amusing, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2006 by Michelle Lewis
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