Around the World in Eighty Days
Jules Verne · translated by George M. Towle · 1872
This book is rated Ages 10+. It isn't available on your library card.
In 1872 the calm, clockwork-precise English gentleman Phileas Fogg bets half his fortune that he can travel all the way around the world in just eighty days, and sets off that very evening with his new French servant Passepartout. Steamers, trains, an elephant and a sail-powered sledge carry them across the globe, while a determined detective follows close behind, sure that Fogg is a bank robber on the run.
A light-hearted adventure with some peril: a widow saved from a funeral pyre, a storm at sea, an opium den, a train attack and a brief kidnapping. Each is shown by the moment before or after, without injury or gore. The Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Mormon and Native American characters are drawn with dignity, not as caricatures.
Characters
Phileas Fogg
A calm, exact London gentleman who lives by the clock and bets half his fortune that he can circle the globe in eighty days.
Passepartout
Fogg's cheerful French servant, a former singer, circus rider and fireman, who wanted a quiet life and got a race around the world.
Fix
A sharp, restless Scotland Yard detective who is sure Fogg is the Bank of England robber and follows him across the world.
Aouda
A graceful, educated young Parsee woman of India whose path crosses the travellers' in a moment of great danger.
Sir Francis Cromarty
A weathered British brigadier-general and Fogg's whist partner, who knows India well and joins the journey across it.
Kiouni
A big, gentle Indian elephant, bought at a startling price, who carries the travellers through the jungle when the railway runs out.
The Parsee guide
A quick, clever young Parsee who guides the elephant through the forest and proves brave and loyal along the way.
John Bunsby
A sunburnt, twinkle-eyed sailor who captains a small pilot-boat and dares rough seas for a handsome reward.
About the story
Around the World in Eighty Days follows Phileas Fogg, a rich and very precise London gentleman who lives by the clock. One evening in October 1872, at the Reform Club, he bets his friends half his fortune that he can go all the way around the globe in eighty days. That same night he sets off with his new servant, Jean Passepartout, a cheerful Frenchman who had hoped for a quiet job. They travel by steamer, train and even elephant, through Suez, India and beyond, with a bank-robbery mystery following close behind them.
Jules Verne wrote the novel just as new railways and steamship lines were making such a journey possible. It turns a timetable into an adventure. Every delay matters, and the calm, unflappable Fogg is a fine comic contrast to the warm-hearted, accident-prone Passepartout. Along the way the story deals with friendship, keeping your word, courage and what it means to see the wider world.
First serialized in French in 1872 and translated into English the next year, it is one of Verne's best-loved books. Its race-against-time plot, its many settings and its memorable characters have inspired films, stage plays and real-life record attempts ever since.
This is a condensed picture-book retelling in 72 illustrated pages, with about 29 minutes of synthetic-voice narration. The pictures are AI illustrations drawn for this edition. George M. Towle's full 1873 English translation is free in the public domain and well worth reading too.
Adapted from Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, translated by George M. Towle (1872), public domain.
Questions
What is Around the World in Eighty Days about?
A punctual English gentleman, Phileas Fogg, bets £20,000 that he can travel around the world in eighty days. He sets off at once with his servant Passepartout, racing against the calendar by ship, train and elephant.
Who are the main characters?
Phileas Fogg is the calm, exact Englishman who makes the wager. Jean Passepartout is his lively French servant, and Detective Fix follows them because he suspects Fogg of robbing the Bank of England.
Is this book suitable for children?
This edition is rated 10+. It is a lively, humorous adventure with some peril along the way, including danger, a chase and a few tense scenes, so it suits confident young readers, teens and adults.
How long does this edition take to read or listen to?
The narration runs about 29 minutes over 72 illustrated pages, so it fits comfortably into a single sitting.
Is this the full book?
No. This is a condensed picture-book retelling that follows the main story. The complete original text, in George M. Towle's 1873 translation, is in the public domain and freely available.
Read the text version: every page's caption, with its picture, on one page.
