Journey to the Center of the Earth

In this riveting tale, German professor Otto Lidenbrock decides to act on his belief that there are volcanic passages leading to the very center of the Earth itself, by leading an expedition through them to the depths of the planet.

Teaming up with his nephew Axel, the professor and his guide Hans make the daring descent into an Icelandic volcano by the name of Snæfellsjökull. En route, they discover all kinds of unusual and wondrous things; everything from fearsome prehistoric animals to natural hazards present as challenges. Eventually, the pair ascend to the surface again and emerge from the Stromboli volcano in Italy.

This early work by Verne establishes his skilled combination of the adventurous with the intriguing - although its ideas have since been debunked scientically, the novelty and originality of the story confers freshness. Repeated film adaptations too have kept the tale in the popular consciousness through to the modern day.