JULES VERNE was born on February 8, 1828, in Nantes, the port city near the mouth of the Loire. He was the eldest son of a prosperous lawyer, and when he grew up his father sent him to Paris to study law, although he put most of his energy into writing plays. Everything changed for him in 1863, when his novel FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON was published by Jules Hetzel, and became a big bestseller. Verne and his publisher called his science fiction "extraordinary voyages" -a great name, invoking as it does the ancient strength of this particular story type. A plethora of didactic tales followed, and Verne was hailed for his ability to weave narrative and mechanical detail. The subterranean world revealed in JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (1864) both entertained readers and served as a geology lesson. FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON: PASSAGE DIRECT IN 97 HOURS AND 20 MINUTES (1865), set in post-bellum America, centered on space exploration. AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS appeared in 1873, garnering worldwide publicity for Verne.
