-A Journey to the Center of the Earth

A prolific master of the science fiction and adventure genres, Jules Verne’s imagination spanned from the moon to the center of the earth. This novel was part of Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages series, which also included Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days, and The Mysterious Island. Verne imagines access to the subterranean world through Saknussemm’s Corridor, which is entered through an extinct volcano in Iceland. Verne also describes the underground Lidenbrock Sea, which is located underneath Scotland and home to prehistoric animals. This work is not unique in describing a subterranean world, but Verne’s use of contemporary science, such as volcanology and geology, distinguish it from stories based on more fanciful hollow earth theories.