From The Earth To The Moon

Author: Jules Verne

Of all the works of translated science fiction, there can be few rivals for the mass and continuing popularity of Jules Verne's extraordinary voyages. Between 1863 and his death in 1905, he produced well over 50 novels (a further 10 appeared after his death), most of which incorporated some element of science fiction. But the example of Verne is also a warning that the quality of the translation matters.His books were translated into English almost as soon as they were published, but unlike the translations into other languages which presented him as a major contemporary writer, his English translator tended to see him as a writer for children. Thus the standard editions of his books, many of which have remained in print for well over a century, cut out some scenes, added others, and in general made the books simpler than the original. It is only recently that an effort has been made to produce more accurate English translations of the books.Even so, works like Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Off on a Comet, Robur the Conqueror and From the Earth to the Moon, with their subterranean worlds, submarines, flying machines and space journeys continue to excite the imagination.Why it's on the list As a representative of Verne's vast and varied output, From the Earth to the Moon along with its sequel Around the Moon, is fascinating. The building of a massive cannon in Florida to shoot three adventurers on an extraordinary journey to circumnavigate the Moon and return to Earth captures everything that most of us read science fiction to find.