JULE VERNE (1828-1905) started out as a lawyer and playwright, but quickly discovered his special gift for "geographical adventures" with a strong dose of science. Journey to the Center of the Earth was his third published novel. In it, he sent three men on a bold quest hundreds of miles into the depths of the earth.

As always, he stayed as close as possible to the scientific knowledge of his time. The novel is firmly anchored in 19th-century geology, palaeontology, and biology, sketched out against the background of some of the most dramatic scenes he ever wrote.

The translation that forms the basis for this volume was published anonymously by George Routledge in 1876. Recently, a Verne researcher discovered the name of the translator in the Routledge archives: a woman named Jessie Campbell, who died in 1907.

This text began life as the basis for an audiobook. The translation was extensively revised. There have been many corrections and changes, but it remains substantially Campbell's work, and this is the first edition of the novel that bears her name on the title page. The audio version of the text is also available.

TAD DAVIS, a long-time member of the North American Jules Verne Society, is a writer and audiobook narrator. He lives in Philadelphia.