Around the World in Eighty Days

by Jules Verne

An eccentric Englishman accepts a challenge to circle the globe with unprecedented speed. Exotic locales, seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and comic relief provide a fantastic blend of adventure,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067013323X
• ISBN13: 9780670133239
• Release Date: April 1980
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam
• Length: 61 Pages
• Weight: 3.20 lbs.
• Age Range: 9 to 11 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 6

Customer Reviews

Justina's Review

I think this book is a superior book because it is full of action. This book is about a man named Mr. Phileas Fogg, and his faithful servant, Passepartout, that wager a bet that They can travel the whole world in eighty days stopping at Suez via Mont Cenis and Brindisi, then to Bombay, then Calcutta, Hong Kong, Japan (Yokohama), San Francisco, New York, back to London, all within eighty days, and by steamboats, and trains. However, a nosy detective, Detective Fix, tracks them down, and tries to arrest Mr. Fogg because he believes that Fogg stole fifty-five thousand pounds. As one may guess, this greatly detains Mr. Fogg, and it seems like he may not make the trip around the world after all. However, the Fix never seems to catch up with Fogg, and Fogg triumphs over most of the obstacles that come his way, like missing boats, missing trains, missing people, and Fogg even meets and rescues a beautiful Indian Princess called Aouda. However, Fix finally catches up to the detective, and everything seems lost for Fogg until Fix discovers that Fogg was not the robber, and Fogg is released. Even so, Fogg is one day late, and in doing so, misses the train that would have taken him to London precisely to win the bet. He ordered a special train, but even in doing so, still misses the bet...or so he thinks. The ending of the book is a very unexpected one. Read this book and find out!

grand adventure

It is exceedingly unlikely that the critics will ever consider Jules Verne to be one of the world's great authors. And yet who ever came to a love of books and reading because of the works of Joyce and Faulkner ands their ilk? Not a damn soul. In fact, The Sound and the Fury and Ulysses can make you rue the day you learned to read. Meanwhile, there are literally millions of us who became avid readers and fell in love with books thanks to the magnificent adventure novels of Jules Verne.The halls of academia may not overflow with earnest Literature majors studying his work and his prose stylings may not have transformed generations of authors, but, as one of the creators of Science Fiction, he is certainly one of the most influential authors of all time. And in terms of the pure innovation of his plot lines and the imagination and excitement of the stories he told, he is without peer.But returning to this classic travel tale as an adult, the most pleasant surprise was just how funny a book this is. The phlegmatic Phileas Fogg and Passepartout, his own intrepid Sancho Panza, play off of each other to great effect. And the excitable and dedicated, though badly misguided, Detective Fix makes for an amusing foil for the heroes as he pursues them around the globe and very nearly loses Fogg his wager.This is simply a grand adventure for readers of all ages.GRADE: A+

MUST READ!!

This is simply the best book I have ever read. It's also a fun way to learn geography! From San Fransisco, California to Allahabad, India, follow the adventures of the tranquil, exact, phlegmatic, and laconic Phileas Fogg as, for a bet, he heads around the world in eighty days with his manservant Passapartout. On the way, he rescues the wife of a dead Rajah from an untimely cremation, is pursued by a detective who thinks he is a robber, bribes the crew of the ship Henrietta to mutiny, and still manages never to show emotion! It's a really fun book with adventure, romance, humor, and much more! A must read!

A great adventure in space and time.

This is Verne's classic story of the trip of Phileas Fogg (who is obsessed with time), Passeportout, Aouda, and Detective Fix around the world on a wager. The book is filled with beautiful time and space imagery throughout (I would bet that one could write an entire thesis on all the time and space references in the novel). Thirty-three years after its publication, the world first learns of the space/time continuum (although I'm certain Verne was not anticipating Einstein). Fogg bets his fellow club members that he can circumnavigate the globe in a mere eighty days. He leaves immediately with his valet Passeportout and is pursued by Detective Fix, who thinks he is a bank robber. Through many adventures, including the rescue of Aouda from immolation, they all return to London. Interestingly, a few years later, after a number of improvements had been made in railways and roads, a U.S. journalist named Nellie Bly (the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cochrane) decided to attempt to break Fogg's "record." Leaving New York on November 14, 1889, she was able to circumnavigate the globe in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 14 seconds. But, she didn't rescue a Hindu princess! It should be noted, however, that one has to be very careful concerning the translations of this novel. There are some terrible ones being sold. Perhaps that's the reason for the few poor comments by earlier reviewers. There is an excellent translation by William Butcher that appeared in 1995.

A fast, action-packed adventure with both romance and danger

Before there was any kind of high-speed travel an English gentleman named Phileas Fogg betted 20,000 pounds that he can travel around the world in 80 or less days. He starts his journey in London. On his way he meets a beautiful Indian Princess. Fogg also gets mistaken for a criminal. During his whole journey he has a detective following him trying to arrest him when the warrant arrives. In the book you follow Fogg's adventures through four continents when he is racing against time. The book is fast-paced, action-packed adventure with both romance and danger.The characters in the story were introduced very well, especially Phileas Fogg. In the beginning of the book you get to know that Fogg is a very private gentleman. He never goes to any social places except the Reform Club. A remarkable thing about Fogg is that his life is centered around the clock. He is very precise and always on time. Every day he follows the exact same schedule. Phileas Fogg does not have a wife or any kids.The setting of the book was very jumpy. Since Fogg travels through many continents and countries the setting changes all the time. You still feel you know a little bit about every place that he comes to, even if he only stays there for a couple of hours. When I started reading the book I thought it would be a really good book and it really did meet my standards. I would recommend it to any one who likes adventure and action. Since it is written in so many different versions a person almost any age can read it.