Jules Verne / William Lackland
Five Weeks in a Balloon is a classic adventure novel by Jules Verne. The story follows the journey of three Englishmen, Dr. Samuel Ferguson, his manservant Joe, and his friend Richard Kennedy, as they attempt to explore the uncharted regions of Africa in a hot air balloon. The trio embarks on an epic journey across the continent, encountering various challenges and obstacles along the way, including hostile tribes, treacherous weather conditions, and dangerous wildlife. As they travel deeper into the heart of Africa, they discover new lands and encounter strange creatures, including a herd of elephants, a tribe of cannibals, and a giant crocodile. Throughout their journey, the three adventurers rely on their wit, resourcefulness, and bravery to overcome the many obstacles they encounter. Five Weeks in a Balloon is a thrilling tale of adventure, exploration, and discovery, and is widely regarded as one of Verne’s most exciting and imaginative works.1869. With illustrations. French writer and pioneer of science fiction, who is best known today for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days. Five Weeks in a Balloon is Verne’s first novel. It is, in a measure, a satire on modern books of African travel. So far as the geography, the inhabitants, the animals, and the features of the countries the travelers pass over are described, it is entirely accurate. It gives, in some particulars, a survey of nearly the whole field of African discovery, and in this way will often serve to refresh the memory of the reader. The mode of locomotion is, of course, purely imaginary, and the incidents and adventures fictitious. The latter are abundantly amusing, and, in view of the wonderful travelers’ tales with which we have been entertained by African explorers, they can scarcely be extravagant; while the ingenuity and invention of the author will be sure to excite the surprise and the admiration of the reader, who will find Verne as much at home in voyaging through the air as in journeying Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world’s literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
