Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Classic Starts®: Journey to the Center of the Earth
    Unavailable
    Classic Starts®: Journey to the Center of the Earth
    Unavailable
    Classic Starts®: Journey to the Center of the Earth
    Ebook114 pages1 hour

    Classic Starts®: Journey to the Center of the Earth

    By Jules Verne, Arthur Pober and Eric Freeberg

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “Go down the crater of the volcano Snaefells. Follow the shadow just before the month of July. You will find your way to the center of the Earth. I did it.” That mysterious message, found in a long-lost letter, propels a young man and his uncle on the adventure of a lifetime: to a prehistoric world below the earth where dinosaurs and other strange creatures still roam. Jules Vernes classic fantasy will enchant a new generation of readers.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSterling Children's Books
    Release dateJun 7, 2011
    ISBN9781402789076
    Unavailable
    Classic Starts®: Journey to the Center of the Earth
    Author

    Jules Verne

    Jules Verne (1828–1905) was a prolific French author whose writing about various innovations and technological advancements laid much of the foundation of modern science fiction. Verne’s love of travel and adventure, including his time spent sailing the seas, inspired several of his short stories and novels.

    Read more from Jules Verne

    Related to Classic Starts®

    Related ebooks

    Children's Classics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Crusade Leaders

      Jun 20, 2019

      Crusade Leaders
      3 min read

    • Article

      The GIRL WHO LISTENED with HER FEET

      Apr 1, 2020

      The GIRL WHO LISTENED with HER FEET
      5 min read

    • Article

      Madeleine L’Engle’s Early Short Stories Presage ‘A Wrinkle In Time’

      Apr 17, 2020

      A reviewer reflects on reading “The Moment of Tenderness,” a collection of short stories, and then returning to the 1963 novel she loved growing up.

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Art of Fiction No. 241

      Sep 15, 2018

      The Art of Fiction No. 241
      26 min read

    • Article

      The Fly King Speaks: Meet Fredrik Sjöberg, author of the sleeper hit, The Fly Trap.

      Mar 12, 2015

      So I’m reading The Fly Trap by Fredrik Sjöberg, a slim book by a writer I’ve never heard of, and I’m riveted for reasons I can’t explain. I honestly have no idea what the book is about. The author begins by talking about the time he worked as a prop

      6 min read

    • Article

      More Than Meets The Eye

      Nov 3, 2022

      More Than Meets The Eye
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Art of Poetry No. 116

      Mar 19, 2024

      The Art of Poetry No. 116
      32 min read

    • Article

      Polyglot Novelist

      Sep 12, 2021

      Polyglot Novelist
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Master Of Memory

      Aug 27, 2021

      The Master Of Memory
      4 min read

    • Article

      On the Accidental Origins of Beloved Books

      Mar 29, 2017

      This week marks the 73rd anniversary of the time Astrid Lindgren, mother of two, fell down and sprained her ankle and decided well, why not spend the time she was laid up writing down the stories she’d been telling her ten-year-old daughter? It was i

      5 min read

    • Article

      Shelf Life

      Sep 2, 2021

      Shelf Life
      4 min read

    • Article

      Europe, What Are You Reading? My Fellow Train Passengers Respond

      Feb 8, 2018

      Earlier this winter, I traveled by train in Germany, Italy, and Austria. I was struck by how many passengers were enjoying books – not books on cellphones or Kindles, but real paper-and-ink books. We hear a lot nowadays about how the internet is dest

      3 min read

    • Article

      ‘I Learned To Lower The Threshold’: Karl Ove Knausgaard On His Process, Passions And Life After My Struggle

      Oct 1, 2023

      How to interview a writer whose account of the first 40 years of his life was so infinitely – perhaps I mean infernally – detailed, it ran to 4,000 pages? If I were Karl Ove Knausgaard, the writer in question, this piece would begin with a long descr

      9 min read

    • Article

      Lesley Pearse

      Jun 4, 2020

      Lesley Pearse
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Power Of One Book

      Jun 8, 2023

      The Power Of One Book
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Right Old Laugh

      Jan 17, 2023

      After he’s spent all his allowance, a useless student has to sell his books for money. The next time he writes to his father he says: “You can congratulate me as my books are already supporting me!”. - From Philogelos, the oldest surviving collection

      2 min read

    • Article

      Stalking Wolfskehl

      Aug 23, 2021

      Stalking Wolfskehl
      6 min read

    • Article

      Retreading The City

      Nov 2, 2023

      It’s hard to pinpoint when and how inspiration strikes for a novel, but I know exactly when it did for The Detective. The Waiter and The Cook were the first two books in my Kamil Rahman thriller series about a disgraced policeman from Kolkata who co

      6 min read

    • Article

      Philologist Irene Vallejo: ‘Alexander The Great’s Library Was The First Step Towards The Internet’

      Nov 5, 2022

      Born in 1979, Irene Vallejo is a Spanish writer, historian and philologist, and a regular columnist in the newspaper El País. She had written several books, including novels, essays and children’s books before she published El infinito en un junco (I

      4 min read

    • Article

      Falling In Love, By The Book

      May 18, 2021

      Falling In Love, By The Book
      4 min read

    Reviews for Classic Starts®

    3.5/5

    2,395 ratings87 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth follows the German professor Otto Lindenbrock and his nephew Axel as they, along with their guide Hans, descend into the Icelandic volcano Snæfellsjökull, see various prehistoric animals, and return via the Stromboli volcano in Italy. Verne found inspiration in the geologist Charles Lyell’s 1863 book, Geological Evidences of the Antiquity of Man as well as some of the works of Edgar Allan Poe. This edition, published by Oxford University Press, features a new translation from the original French by William Butcher. The book also features an introduction situating Verne and his work in its historical milieu as well as an explanation of the translation. As part of the Oxford World’s Classics series, the novel features explanatory notes for many of the scientific and foreign-language terms Verne used to add verisimilitude to the book. Though typically classified as science-fiction, the term was not popularized until Hugo Gernsback used it in the 1920s, and Verne himself would have considered this an adventure novel as it focuses more on the journey than the science or technology involved in getting there. This edition works well for those studying science-fiction and its history, though, and is a must-read for even the casual fan!
    • 4/5
      Professor Leidenbrock and his nephew Axel find a mysterious note suggesting an Icelandic geologist traveled to the center of the earth and lived to tell the tale. The two prepare for the long and arduous journey to Iceland, for that is where the geologist began, and enlist the help of an Icelander named Hans to assist with the journey below ground. Not to spoil a 150-year-old book, but the trio makes it to the center of the earth after several setbacks and strange occurrences, and return safely to ground level.There is a scene near the start of the book in which Professer Leidenbrock and Axel are arguing about what they may find in the center of the earth. The nephew believes that the center would be liquid rock and metal. The professor is convinced that it is solid rock. Both trot out a series of scientific facts and figures to prove their points. Readers are of course meant to side with the Professor and, indeed, he is proven correct later in the book (or there would be no book), but as a modern reader, knowing that the nephew is actually correct, the exchange is pretty hilarious.While the science is obviously not accurate, the book itself is fun. It’s an adventure story written by a master. We read the story from Axel’s point of view, who is reluctant about everything involved in this journey. This makes for a pleasant “surprise” when Axel is proven wrong. If you’ve only ever seen the film version starring James Mason, you will be surprised at some of the differences. I hope you have fun with this classic, as I did.
    • 3/5
      I have to admit that Jules Verne is harder to read as an adult than as a bright-eyed, impressionable kid. There is so much wonder on these pages, and yet I felt like I needed to work far too hard to get at it - the adventure is hidden behind steampunk techno-babble in a way that modern writers would never be able to get away with. Still, I'm glad to have revisited this book, and I will continue to work through the Verne canon, disillusioned though I am.
    • 4/5
      A good book eventually. I found the first few chapters rather slow, but after the group had entered the Earth things got alot more exciting. The character of Axel was extremely well written, his constant mood swings kept me entertained. The trio who journeyed into the earth are extremely different form one another and the interplay between them is enjoyable. Worth sticking with as it is a good read.
    • 1/5
      This book is about a guy named Axel, his uncle, and how they go on a journey. Axel's uncle is a professor that teaches about mineralogy. One day he comes home with a piece of paper. It tells about a journey to the center of the earth. When Axel hears about this he thinks his uncle is crazy but his uncle drags him along. Many things end up happening on the journey but to find out if they make it READ the book!I didn't like this book because it was to scientific and confusing to me.
    • 5/5
      Based on the discovery of a mysterious parchment detailing the entrance to the center of the earth, a passionate scientist drags his nephew to Iceland. There, with the help of their trusty Icelandic guide, they gain entry to travel deep into the earth,, where they have many great adventures including dangerous tunnels, an underground ocean, prehistoric creatures, and other natural hazards.I have seen so many versions of Journey to the Center of the Earth from the good to the very, very bad. This book is so much better than all of them. Much of the book is just traveling through dark tunnels before they make their more outrageous discoveries (the movies seem to insist on adding more complications).I had been worried that it was going to be dry like some books of the older style of prose, but i was pleasantly surprised. The narrative is entertaining throughout, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, and often quite funny. I loved Professor Liedenbrock, whose wild passions often lead to humorous situations, as well as his more timid nephew Axel, who was not nearly as excited by the trip. I even enjoyed Hans, the silent and stoic guide.This is a fun, entertaining adventure novel. I loved it, and am quite excited to read the rest of Verne's works.
    • 5/5
      In my opinion, far and away the best book Verne ever wrote and one of the best sci-fi books ever written. I own several copies, including Heritage Press and Folio Society. If I read French, I'd try to own a first edition.
    • 4/5
      A little is lost in translation and it's a bit dated. However this is still an entertaining story of a great adventure undertaken by two German geologists and their Icelandic guide. You just need to ignore certain scientific advances since it was written and make allowances for some attitudes of the time.
    • 2/5
      I really didn't enjoy Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth." As you'd expect, there was lots of adventuring through dark caves until the big "payoff" at the end, which wasn't terribly exciting. Verne's narrator is constantly saying how they are all going to die on this journey, but it's clear he's writing the book after the journey, so you know right off they don't.This reminded me a lot of H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" in that there is a lot of description that gets tedious and then the ultimate conclusion doesn't really make everything worthwhile.Perhaps this just hasn't aged well.
    • 5/5
      A great adventure story and tale of discovery. Axel and his uncle, the Professor, set out for the centre of the earth via an Icelandic volcano, with the help of their intrepid and unflappable porter. A human drama about Axel's overcoming of his fears and facing up to many uncertainties. His cool, sceptical and questioning attitude is contrasted with his uncle's impatience and immense self-confidence. The exchanges between Axel and his uncle keep the drama going, as well as their amazing journey with all its dangers. Also has its funny comic moments! Is the centre of the earth a boiling furnace or not? is just one of the scientific questions which inform the narrative with intelligence and curiosity. A true original of science fiction, and definitely worth re-reading.
    • 4/5
      This had an incredible impact on me when as a young teen I read it the first time. The descriptions of quartz and minerals and subterranean canyons spurred me on to study geology, fossils and a whole slew of sciences. Still a great read.
    • 4/5
      If you like old timey science fiction this is for you. It's full of fantastical scientific explanations to getting to the center of the earth and I enjoyed reading it. Worth it.
    • 4/5
      I first read Journey to the Centre of the Earth when I was 8. My local supermarket sold pocket editions of classics at pocket money prices. I loved this one. It was incredibly exciting and nerve tingling. 35 years later, I decided to read it again. My pocket money pocket edition is long gone, so I got a copy for my Kindle from Project Gutenberg. It is as good as I remembered. Fast paced and funny, if a little implausible at times (I can take ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs living in a subterranean sea, not sure about the ability to acclimatise to differing air pressures as you travel towards the earth's core on foot, though), it is deserving of its classic status.I discovered that my childhood version and the one I downloaded are an abridged translation with the names of the main characters changed, so I've downloaded another version from PG, which is supposed to be more accurate. To read another day, though!
    • 3/5
      Time has not been gentle to this classic.
    • 4/5
      There's not too much to say about the plot here; it's pretty much all in the title. As our intrepid narrator reminds us at one point: "Remember that I am writing this *after* the journey." A young man (Axel or Harry depending on your translation) embarks on a journey into the earth at the insistence of his uncle Professor Lidenbrock (or Hardwigg) after they decode a message about the same journey being undertaken by an Icelander centuries before.This isn't really great writing, but the point is the adventure and the early days of science fiction, of course. There's a lot of geology and paleontology mixed in with the story, imparted in form of conversations between the nephew and the uncle, or lectures by the uncle. The Professor comes across as an extra-obnoxious, lecture-y and impatient Sherlock Holmes; he's kind of a funny character, even as you want to slap him sometimes. Darkness, the risk of getting lost forever under the earth's surface, beasties and strange natural phenomena all threaten our intrepid heroes, but obviously they make it out all right.Much like with other adventure stories from years gone by, the escapades hold up but the science and worldviews don't. Definitely worth reading for what it is, but not a life-changing experience.Recommended for: fans of monster movies, geologists.Quote: "In this manner, in early days, were formed those vast and prodigious layers of coal, which an ever-increasing consumption must utterly use up in about three centuries more, if people do not find some more economic light than gas, and some cheaper motive power than steam."
    • 3/5
      This book is to me the ultimate of the Science Fiction genre. You take an event that's impossible--say, traveling to the center of the Earth, and then add a bunch of scientific terms to it and make the reader think it might be possible. The addition of a character who he (typically he, sometimes she) doubts the possibility of completing the task is a nice one--he is there so the audiance will not feel too bad in their disbelief of what is happening in the book.

      This was my first book by Jules Verne, and it was pretty much what I expected (what you would find in any science fiction novel?). But what I need to remind myself of, is that this book was written a lonnnnnggggg time ago, and I'm sure at the time, I could see how this book would be a huge hit.

    • 4/5
      Perhaps the best part of this well known work is the basic premise, which is compelling. That said, I was somewhat disappointed with the actual story telling. Given the book's age, it is no surprise that Verne's understanding of the most basic scientific processes was lacking. More importantly, the actual story itself was overly simplistic. At times I felt I was reading a children's novel. A must read given its classic status, however do not expect any sophistication.
    • 5/5
      This is a re-read. It is a very good adventure, one of his best, maintaining a real sense of threat and suffocating claustrophobia under the ground. There are some internal inconsistencies in dates and timings which would probably not get past a modern editor. Good stuff.
    • 4/5
      It's...interesting. I hadn't realized how much the story was a treatise on evolution (as understood at the time). Now I need to read more Verne to see if he's done the same (presumably in other fields) in his other books. It's a little hard to read - the viewpoint character is ridiculously variable - wild mood-swings from "We're all going to fail and die! Now!" to "Let's go! We are great adventurers!". Got a bit hard to take. Verne did some neat elision to get past the most unbelievable part - finding the interior cavern; since the VP character (I really can't call him the hero) is unconscious after tremendous strain, that whole event never gets told. And like that. I spent much more time noticing the writing and the agenda of the author than I did enjoying the story. That may be a mood thing, but right now I feel like there's not a lot of story (and _very_ little characterization - lots of cardboard 'traits', though) to this book.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! I seriously cannot believe that I avoided Verne for decades because I found Wells somewhat plodding. Of course, I've seen the movies made of both authors' works, but it was the most recent (2008) version which piqued my interest. By following the story by telling a narrative which encompassed it, I was having so much fun that I decided to read--and what a trip! It's on my favorites list now.
    • 3/5
      Good bedtime reading for the 7 year old daughter and me. And it takes me waaaaay back: I loved Verne when I was 8 and 9 and 10. The plot of this book is preposterous, but so what?
    • 3/5
      I guess I've been spoiled by modern fast-paced writing. While I did enjoy this book, and it had some great parts, I found a lot of it to be time-killing "filler" type material. Was it really necessary to take 90 pages to actually descend into the earth? Not in my humble opinion.The afterword by Nimoy was interesting, though.
    • 4/5
      This book was nothing like what I had expected. I picked it up because I was in the mood for something fast-paced and action-packed, and I figured this was the perfect book (going off of the movie). It wasn't at all. This book was all science. There were no dinosaurs (though there were prehistoric giant sea-monsters at one point) and *major spoiler* they never made it to the center of the earth. They didn't even get one third of the way there before a volcanic eruption spurted them to the surface again after weeks of traveling. I gave this book 4 stars. Why in the world would I do that? Because I like the way Jules Verne writes. He kept me interested in the story even when there was no adrenaline-rush happening. I admit, if this book had been 400 pages rather than 200 I probably would have given it 1 or 2 stars. Verne can't keep me interested with science facts alone forever!
    • 4/5
      Another classic travel adventure tale from the pen of Jules Verne. This is the third in a series he called "Voyages Extraordinaires". When Axel deciphers an old parchment that describes a secret passage through a volcano to the centre of the earth, nothing will stop him and his eccentric uncle from embarking on a perilous, terrifying journey through the subterranean world. Verne's novels are each a marvel of action, adventure, ideas, and the fantastic. In this case the emphasis is on the fantastic, but if you suspend your disbelief and join Verne on his journey you find enjoyable tales. This is not my favorite -- see Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea for that, but it is as they say, a rollicking good story.
    • 4/5
      I remember being entirely engrossed in this book when I read it as an eleven-year-old boy, feeling I was in those subterranean tunnels and passages with the travellers. Recently I downloaded the Malleson translation onto my Kindle (free from Project Gutenberg) to explore whether the story still has the capacity to engage the adult as it had the child. The simple answer is, yes it does, and in some ways I may have reaped more from the experience this time around, because I appreciated the skill in the characterisation as well as Verne's ability to take us along with them on the adventure. The three main characters - Axel, the young narrator, his eccentric and obsessed uncle Professor Liedenbrock, and their taciturn Icelandic guide Hans - make wonderful travelling companions for the reader. We are sucked along in the whirlwind of the Professor's passion experiencing, like Axel, that heady mix of curiosity and trepidation, relying for our safety on Hans, one of the most steadfast silent heroes in literature. Of course the scientific arguments that Verne presents through the arguments between Axel and the Professor sometimes border on the absurd, and the sights we come across - including an underground ocean, living dinosaurs and a twelve foot humanoid - are fantastic indeed but there is just enough true science to persuade us to leave our disbelief at the entrance to the volcano. Jules Verne was a true pioneer of the science fiction genre. Many lesser writers have followed in his footsteps; but literature is a sustainable magic for readers, and it's our delight that we can still make the journey with the original master.
    • 3/5
      A nice little adventure story full of peril and suspense but I was sorely disappointed with the ending.
    • 3/5
      Not quite what I was expecting – I’m more familiar with the souped up Disney version, though I can’t say I was surprised to find out there’s no singing, no ducks and no chix in the original. It’s all right – I’ve never read Verne before, and he keeps the story moving, even though the science gets a little tedious. Also, it’s a little hard to believe you could actually walk all that way. And the ending requires some serious disbelief suspension. Still, I can see why it’s still in print.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable, if a little too longVerne was famous as a populariser of science, and it's easy to see why. The intellectual content is well-judged, softened by entertainment – it’s the journey narrative that can be a little plodding, as can his exposition, with too much spare description and repetition. Verne is good at dialogue and characters though, with a timely injection of humour now and then.
    • 3/5
      1863 German professor Otto Lidenbrock uncovers ancient icelandic writings that suggest a passage to the center of the earth. professor takes his nephew and danish guide Hans on a trip to a world only one other person has seen. The story is inventive but boring in sections weighted down with science. I would have loved to seen more of the world he encounter as it ended a bit abruptly. I read it because it is a classic and i'm sure utterly suspenseful for it's time.
    • 3/5
      I remember being a slightly better fan of this book when I was younger and I don't know if it was since I read an edition that was geared toward for juvenile crowds or if there was another reason behind it (maybe since I was actually caught up in the adventure for the first time). Unfortunately my second reading of this book ended up driving me up the wall. Unlike "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" the book is more of a heavier scientific bent and so it runs extremely slow to one who may not be into the bland tone. Furthermore there are spells where it seems the reading just drones on and on then a flash of adventure that is combined with little used words so a dictionary is quite handy. The character development is for the most part quite deep although more is given to the two main protagonists of the book. Hans would have been a much better character to have developed but since the narrator never quite understood him or tried to see what was going on he is left out of the picture besides as the one that is always there as quiet, strong, resourceful and saving them from danger more than can be counted. The story is definitely an adventure story while it will allow you to escape. Most definitely not like the movies (none of which I have seen) since movies require more action so don't come in judging from a film. Instead just sit back and enjoy the book for the way that it was written.