A Journey to the Centre of the Earth

by Jules Verne

Professor Lidenbrock of Hamburg, an irascible geologist, finds a coded parchment in an old Icelandic manuscript and deciphers it with the reluctant help of his nephew Axel, who tells the story. The message, from a sixteenth-century alchemist, claims that a path to the center of the earth begins in the crater of the volcano Snaefells. Within weeks the professor, Axel and a silent Icelandic guide named Hans are descending by lava tunnel into a world of underground seas, giant mushrooms, prehistoric beasts and a storm beneath a sky of rock. Published in 1864, this was Verne's second novel of scientific adventure, mixing real geology, invented wonders and the comic struggle between an enthusiast and the nephew who would rather have stayed home. Read it online in your browser on Vinteuil; the first chapter is free.