Having read both of Jules Vernes most famous classics (the other being 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), I will say that I prefer this one by far. Written in 1864 in French, and translated into English by 1871, it was a journey beyond anything its author's contemporary readers could have fathomed. To our tainted CGI & SFX world it comes across as quaint, but at the same time manages to draw you into the inner workings of the main character, in all his frailties and doubts, as he plunges into the bowels of the earth. A good weekend read!