From the Earth to the Moon

Jules Verne

Jan 2006 · Blackstone Audio Inc. · Narrated by Bernard Mayes

About this audiobook

Written more than a century before man landed on the moon, this classic adventure tale has proved to be one of Jules Verne's most prophetic. It is also a forerunner of today's science fiction. At the close of the Civil War, the members of the elite Baltimore Gun Club find themselves unemployed and bored. Finally, their president, Impey Barbicane, proposes a new project: build a gun big enough to launch a rocket to the moon. But when a daring volunteer elevates the mission to a "manned" flight, one man's dream turns into an international space race. This is a story of rollicking action, humor, and vibrant imagination, full of both satire and scientific insight.

About the author

Jules Verne (1828-1905) is considered by many the father of science fiction. Born in Nantes, France, he studied law but turned to writing opera libretti until the 1863 publication of Five Weeks in a Balloon, the first of his Extraordinary Voyages series. Its success encouraged him to produce a number of classic and prophetic science fiction novels, including Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. His stories foresaw many scientific and technological developments, including the submarine, television, and space travel.

Bernard Mayes is a teacher, administrator, corporate executive, broadcaster, actor, dramatist, and former international commentator on US culture. He is best known for his readings of historical classics.