Around the World in 80 Days (Deluxe Library Edition)

Phileas Fogg is a rich English gentleman living in solitude. Despite his wealth, Fogg lives a modest life with habits carried out with mathematical precision. Very little can be said about his social life other than that he is a member of the Reform Club. Having dismissed his former valet, James Forster, for bringing him shaving water at 84 F (29 c) instead of 86 f (30 c), Fogg hires a Frenchman by the name of Jean Passepartout as a replacement.

At the Reform Club, Fogg gets involved in an argument over an article in The Daily Telegraph stating that with the opening of a new railway section in India, it is now possible to travel around the world in 80 days. He accepts a wager for 20,000 (equal to about 1.6 million today) from his fellow club members, which he will receive if he makes it around the world in 80 days. Accompanied by Passepartout, he leaves London by train at 8:45 pm on Wednesday, October 2, 1872, and is due back at the Reform Club at the same time 80 days later, Saturday, December 21, 1872.

About the Author
Verne, Jules: - "Jules Verne (February 8, 1828- March 24, 1905) was a French writer. He was one of the first authors to write science fiction. He was born in the city of Nantes, France. His father was a lawyer, and at the beginning, Verne wanted to study law as well. When he was nineteen, he started writing long pieces of literature, but his father wanted him to earn money as a lawyer, not as a writer. In 1847, his father sent him to Paris to start studying law. In 1848, Jules Verne, on a visit home, fell in love, but the girl's parents did not want her to marry him. Verne was depressed when he heard that the girl had been married to someone else - a rich, older man. In his stories, Jules Verne often writes about women married to people they do not love. He returned to Paris to find it on the verge of revolution: the French Revolution of 1848 deposed the king, and Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was elected as the first president of the Republic of France. Verne continued to study law until 1851, but all the time he was writing and meeting with other authors and artists. Finally, in 1852, he decided to give up being a lawyer, and become a full-time professional writer instead. His father was very unhappy with this decision, but Verne was stubborn and strong-minded, so he went ahead with his plans. Verne went to Paris to try to find success. At first, he did not find any fame. Over time, he became a fan of science, while becoming well-known for his writing. His love of science and writing led him to write stories and novels that are now called science fiction. Many people say Jules Verne was the creator of the science fiction genre."