The Extraordinary Journeys: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea (Oxford World's Classics) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
The classic tale of Captain Nemo and the submarine the Nautilus, this is the quintessential translation by the internationally renowned Verne scholar, William Butcher. This edition of Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea reports the very first study of Verne's manuscript and is packed with detail on artistic and scientific references.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Series: Oxford World's Classics
Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (May 15, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0199539278
ISBN-13: 978-0199539277
Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 0.9 x 5.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #55,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #37 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Short Stories #66 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > European > French #371 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Exploration
There are three significant translations of this book, and 's lacklustre book-sorting system creates nothing but chaos when searching for the correct format / translation of this book. I'm here to help!note: (find the version you are looking for with the ISBN numbers I've provided at the bottom of this review, you can just copy and paste them into the search field and hit GO).Here are excerpts from the three most common translations:Paragraph one, translated by Mercier Lewis -THE YEAR 1866 WAS signalized by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. Not to mention rumors which agitated the maritime population, and excited the public mind, even in the interior of continents, seafaring men were particularly excited. Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels, skippers, both of Europe and America, naval officers of all countries, and the governments of several states on the two continents, were deeply interested in the matter.Paragraph one, translated by Walter James Miller and Frederick Paul Walter (1996) -THE YEAR 1866 was marked by a bizarre development, an unexplained and downright inexplicable phenomenon that surely no one has forgotten. Without getting into those rumors that upset civilians in the seaports and deranged the public mind even far inland, it must be said that professional seamen were especially alarmed. Traders, shipowners, captains of vessels, skippers, and master mariners from Europe and America, naval officers from every country, and at their heels the various national governments on these two continents, were all extremely disturbed by the business.Paragraph one, translated by William Butcher -The year 1866 was marked by a strange event, an unexplained and inexplicable occurrence that doubtless no one has yet forgotten. Without mentioning the rumours which agitated the denizens of the ports and whipped up the public's imagination on every continent, seafaring men felt particularly disturbed. The merchants, shipowners, sea-captains, skippers, and master-mariners of Europe and America, the naval officers of every country, and eventually the various nationals governments on both continents--all became extremely worried about this matter.------------------------------------------------------------------------------WHAT a difference! And who to trust?From wikipedia:"Many of Mercier's errors were corrected in a from-the-ground-up re-examination of the sources and an entirely new translation by Walter James Miller and Frederick Paul Walter."So, the modern translation to seek is either the Walter James Miller / Frederick Paul Walter edition, or the William Butcher edition, depending on your preference for the above excerpts.------------------------------------------------------------------------------And here is how to find them:USA - .comWalter James Miller / Frederick Paul Walterkindle edition ASIN: B004DNWRPQpaper edition ISBN:1440414262William Butcherkindle edition ASIN: (appears to be unavailable at the moment)paper edition ISBN: 0199539278------------------------------------------------------------------------------UK - .co.ukWalter James Miller / Frederick Paul Walterkindle edition ASIN: B00BIFLLV8 or B00BSK24HIpaper edition ISBN: 1438446640William Butcherkindle edition ASIN: (appears to be unavailable at the moment)paper edition ISBN: 0199539278
Finished reading this and in the process I learned I had two misconceptions about this book.First, I always thought the name was a singular "Sea" but in the original French title, it is indeed a plural. This makes sense when seen in light of the second misconception I had ...which is that the 20,000 leagues speaks to horizontal travel around the seas of the world (2.7 times the circumference to be exact) rather than what I had assumed it to mean...20,000 leagues deep (or vertical distance).Being a classic piece of work written in the late 1800's, the pacing is very different and that may be offputting to some readers. It can be slow and tedious, particularly because it contains detailed decriptions of categorizations of animals and sea life. However, if it's approached more like a travel guide than a break pace thriller, it can be very enjoyable. I enjoyed little revelations (I never knew Capt Nemo's name had an alternate meaning) and the characters are fully developed and interesting. Like some of the best novels, not every detail is explained and many questions are left unanswered about the ship, Captain Nemo and their demise but I'm actually ok with the mystery of it. In all, I'm glad I read it but it's definitely not for every one.
"Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas" was first translated into English by Parson Lewis Mercier (who used the name Mercier Lewis) in the 1870's - this is now public domain and is the version you will get with cut-rate editions.Mr. Mercier eliminated a quarter of the text and mistranslated numerous words and measures.The way to spot his translation and his influence in some later editions (not this one) is to open the book to the third chapter, where the servant Conseil is introduced and described as someone who always addresses his master in the third person singular. See if Conseil's inquiry to his master then actually uses the third person singular - "the master" - or if he uses second person singular - "you."If it's "you," it is the inaccurate translation.
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