Journey To The Center Of The Earth

By Jules Verne

Book Overview

In this fully dramatized adaptation of Jules Verne's classic, "Journey to the Center of the Earth", Leonard Nimoy, John de Lancie, and cast members from Star Trek feature films and all four TV series... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0766612090
• ISBN13: 9780766612099
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Modern Pub
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 0.5" x 6.5"

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.

Verne's most thrilling novel

This book proves Verne's greatness as a writer of fiction. The science in this science fiction flies largely in the face of modern science, yet the read is no less gripping today than it was in its infancy. The story is pretty simple. Professor Lidenbrock, a neurotically impatient scientist, discovers a cryptic manuscript written by a long-dead explorer; with the help of his nephew, he decodes the cryptogram to read an account of a journey to the center of the earth begun beneath a dormant volcano in Iceland. The nephew, Axel, a talented geologist and mineralogist himself, refuses to believe that the core of the earth is not exceedingly hot; additionally, he cares more about Grauben, the eccentric professor's ward, than risking his life on a scientific adventure. He proves unable to dissuade his uncle and thus joins with him on a journey to Iceland. There, they hire a stoic Icelander to lead them down into the earth. Most of the action takes place underground, with the adventurers suffering several trials, daring risks, and finally discovering a whole new world hidden miles below the earth's crust. The ultimate trial and danger they face consists of returning to the surface.Axel narrates the story, and the strength of the novel lies in his character. The professor and the Icelandic guide are unusual personalities, but Axel is very real and easy to relate to. He really does not want to go in the first place, and he is most liable to greet dangers and risks by bemoaning his fate and declaring his party done for in their foolish efforts. It is he who suffers the most privation when the men's water runs out, and it is he who finds himself lost in the utter blackness of the caverns for three days. When things are going well, though, Axel becomes wildly excited about the mission and temporarily forgets about his fears. This all goes to make him a very sympathetic character. Without him, the story would be a rather dispassionate account of an impossible journey by bland, unbelievable characters. You do have to shift your mind into low gear a few times when the characters begin speaking about the different types of minerals and rocks they are encountering, but overall the plot is rather thrilling, and you cannot help but begin early on trying to ascertain a way in which the intrepid explorers can return to share their discoveries with a skeptical scientific community. Verne knows how to tell a story, and you don't have to know a single thing about science to enjoy this novel immensely.

Journey to the center of the Earth book review.

This is an exiting book full of adventure. It is about three people named Hans, Professer Hardwigg and his nephew Harry. The story takes place when Professer Hardwigg discovers a piece of parchment with the name of a famous explorer that went to the center of the Earth. Professer Hardwigg wants to do the same. They climb in to Mt.Sneffles with a guide named Hans. They have lots of adventures with prehistoric animals and travel in places you wouldn't even expect. The ending is very exiting but you will have to read it to find out. I recomend this book to people who like adventure stories. I think it is a great book .

Great adventure

Excellent book. A bit slow moving at first but it quickly finds a good pace. It was so involving that I read the book in two sittings. The first part is like a travelogue and was very interesting. After giving great detail for most of the book, I didn't like the way it ended so quickly. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good adventure story.

Three explorers go to the center of the earth

This is a classic novel by Jules Verne. In the story, Professor Hardwigg and his nephew Harry discover an ancient parchment by an alchemist named Arne Saknussemm. They travel to Iceland and climb an extinct volcano called Sneffels. With them is the Icelandic hunter Hans. They journey into the center of the earth, in which Harry gets lost. They come upon and ocean and cross it. While they are on the sea they witness a battle of ancient sea monsters. Eventually they are thrown out of a volcano on Stromboli, an island in Italy. This was a wonderful book, but sometimes it went into too much detail. Still, a classic five star book. I don't see why anyone would give it 4 1/2 stars. It is simply absurd. I recommened this book to anyone with a good imagination.