Jules Verne
Jules Verne needs no
introduction. Widely considered to be godfather of Science Fiction, he continues
to be one of the most widely read authors in the world. He is also one of the 10 most translated authors in the world, with
more than 1,500 translations in print. He predicted spaces flights,
submarines, helicopters, radar, TV and satellites; a crater on the moon is named
after him.
His many books—including 20,000 LEAGUES
UNDER THE SEA, A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, and AROUND THE WORLD IN 80
DAYS—are synonymous with classic literature itself. Verne’s works are
read by the old and the young, still assigned yearly to college, high school and
junior high school curriculums.
Jules Verne died on March 24, 1905,
leaving behind several novels ready for publication. Michel Verne, son of
Jules, following the orders of publisher Jules Hetzel, rewrote his fathers final
masterpieces without even referring back to the originals. He watered down the
thick political and polemic aspects, added absurd characters, and made numerous
errors. Michel essentially completely rewrote these books, so that the only
editions ever published were severely doctored—even to the point of major plot
and character changes. These literary crimes would not be revealed until 1978,
by collector Piero Gondolo della Riva, thanks to the discovery of the author’s
actual manuscripts.
Thanks to the efforts of the
discoverer and translator, these "new" Jules Verne titles can now be
published as they were originally meant to be. Beginning in 2005, the
University of Nebraska Press published four of these titles in their esteemed
line of science fiction classics. These titles include The
Secret of Wilhelm Storitz, The Golden
Volcano, THE Meteor Hunt and
The Lighthouse at the End of the World.
A major publishing
event.
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