20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Jules Verne · 1870
This book is rated Ages 10+. It isn't available on your library card.
In 1866 a huge, glowing monster is sinking ships all over the world's oceans, and Professor Aronnax, his loyal servant Conseil and the harpooner Ned Land join the hunt for it. Then they are thrown into the sea and discover that the monster is something far stranger: a secret underwater ship, the Nautilus, ruled by the mysterious Captain Nemo, who will never let them leave.
A sea adventure with a few dangerous moments: a shark attack, a giant squid that drags off a sailor, a sea burial and a warship sunk in battle. These are shown through distance, murky water, silhouettes and the faces of the people watching, never in gory detail.
Characters
Professor Aronnax
A learned French naturalist who joins the hunt for the sea monster and is swept into an astonishing voyage beneath the waves.
Captain Nemo
The proud, mysterious commander of a marvellous submarine boat, who has turned his back on the world above the sea.
Ned Land
A fiery Canadian harpooner, the best in his trade, who longs for solid ground, real meat and freedom.
Conseil
Aronnax's calm, devoted Flemish servant, who loves classifying sea creatures and follows his master wherever he goes.
Commander Farragut
The steady, determined captain of the frigate Abraham Lincoln, who believes in the monster and vows to hunt it down.
About the story
In 1866, ships around the world report a huge, glowing creature that moves faster than any whale and can punch holes in iron hulls. Professor Pierre Aronnax, a French naturalist, joins an American frigate sent to hunt it down. With him are his calm, loyal servant Conseil and the Canadian harpooner Ned Land. The hunt goes wrong, and the three end up aboard the Nautilus, a secret electric submarine. Its commander, the mysterious Captain Nemo, has cut himself off from the rest of humanity.
What follows is a voyage through the world's oceans: underwater forests, coral reefs, sunken ships, polar ice and creatures no one on land has ever seen. Verne mixes the real science of his day with adventure. Wonder sits alongside unease, because the Nautilus is both a marvel and a prison, and Nemo is both a brilliant host and a man with a hidden grievance against the world.
The novel was first published in French as a serial in 1869–70 and helped shape science fiction. Its extraordinary submarine and enigmatic commander became enduring images of undersea adventure. People still read it for its sense of discovery, its curious and argumentative characters, and its questions about freedom, knowledge and the cost of turning away from society.
This edition is a condensed picture-book retelling in 80 illustrated pages, with about 29 minutes of synthetic-voice narration. The pictures are AI illustrations made for this edition. Verne's full novel is in the public domain, free to read, and well worth reading too.
Adapted from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne (1870), public domain.
Questions
What is Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea about?
A French scientist, his servant and a harpooner set out to hunt a mysterious sea monster. They become prisoners on the Nautilus, a secret submarine, and travel the world's oceans with its enigmatic commander, Captain Nemo.
Who are the main characters?
The story is told by Professor Aronnax, a French naturalist. He travels with his unflappable servant Conseil and the hot-tempered Canadian harpooner Ned Land. At the center of the book is Captain Nemo, the brilliant and secretive master of the Nautilus.
What does the title mean? Is the submarine 20,000 leagues deep?
No. The title refers to the distance the Nautilus travels underwater, about 20,000 leagues or roughly 80,000 kilometres, not to how deep it dives.
Is this book suitable for children?
This edition is rated 10+. It contains moments of real danger, violence at sea and some sad scenes, as well as a fair amount of scientific detail. Most readers aged 10 and up, and families reading together, can enjoy it.
Is this the full book, and how long does it take?
No. It is a condensed picture-book retelling of 80 illustrated pages, with about 29 minutes of narration. The complete original novel is in the public domain and free to read in English translation, for example on Project Gutenberg.
Read the text version: every page's caption, with its picture, on one page.
