Journey To the Center of the Earth Great

By VerneJules

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: B000YCSK4W
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: BARONET BOOKS
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

If you are thinking of Arlene Dahl, you will be shocked.

I grew up on the James Mason movie, "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1959), so it was quite a shocker to read the book. You can imagine, to my dismay, the absence of quite a few characters, and the center of the story is Germany, not Scotland. Now, for avid readers, you couldn't care less about old movies, I can truthfully say that this is one of Jules Verne's best stories and is well told. What you will find more interesting and fun about this tale is the characters and their interaction. One of my favorite parts is when Harry, who did not want to go to the center of the earth with his uncle, Professor Hardwig, turned to his fiancée, Gretchen, and was planning to have her stop him. Her answer is shockingly disappointing to him. "While there is life, there is hope. I beg to assert, Henry, that as long as man's heartbeats, as long as man's flesh quivers, I do not allow that being gifted with thought and will allow himself to despair." Be prepared, as the bulk of the book is a geological journey back through time and forward again, painfully spelled out by Harry, who is the first-person narrator. The Kindle version does not have an actual picture of the runes in Chapter 1. Moreover, a tad off in pronunciation. Other than that, it is more than worth obtaining along with a hard copy for your library. Before purchasing the book, verify the translator, as it makes a difference, as in the various translations of the Bible. “Frederick Amadeus Malleson” (1871) — the Abridger. Starts fast, clipped, and oddly plain; the tone feels “Victorian textbook” rather than Verne’s dry mischief. Ends with a tidy, moralizing cadence that Verne never wrote. Cuts whole paragraphs, simplifies science, and sands off the humor — the most common “wrong” version in the wild. “Routledge” Anonymous Translation — the Other Abridger. A strangely brisk, almost perfunctory start; sentences feel shortened, as if someone summarized Verne rather than translated him. A neat, abrupt wrap‑up that feels more like a publisher’s condensation than a novelist’s ending. Another heavily pruned 19th‑century version; if the book is suspiciously short, it’s this one. “Robert Baldick” (Penguin Classics, 1961) — the Smooth Modernist Clean, mid‑century British prose with a gentle literary polish; faithful but not fussy. A balanced, unhurried final cadence that preserves Verne’s tone without over‑explaining. A complete, reliable translation — readable, accurate, and widely available. “William Butcher” (Oxford, 1992) — the Scholar. Precise, slightly formal, and rhythmically close to the French; you can feel the geology and the humor intact. A faithful, uncompressed ending with Verne’s pacing preserved. The gold standard: restored text, footnotes, and Verne’s full personality. “Frank Wynne” (Modern Editions) — the Contemporary Voice. Lively, modern phrasing that still respects the original structure; never slangy. A clean, contemporary finish that feels natural without drifting into paraphrase. A fresh, energetic translation that keeps the science and the spirit.