Round the Moon

By Jules Verne

In this sequel to "From the Earth to the Moon," Barbicane, Ardan, and Nicholl have decided to take a trip around the moon. But first they have to get to the moon from Earth. Will their trip succeed as they attempt to dodge asteroids and realize that the scientists on Earth have miscalculated their trajectory towards the moon?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Start Classics
• Release date: Jan 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781609770716

Jules Verne

Jules Gabriel Verne was born in the seaport of Nantes, France, in 1828 and was destined to follow his father into the legal profession. In Paris to train for the bar, he took more readily to literary life, befriending Alexander Dumas and Victor Hugo, and living by theatre managing and libretto-writing. His first science-based novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon, was issued by the influential publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel in 1862, and made him famous. Verne and Hetzel collaborated to write dozens more such adventures, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1869 and Around the World in 80 Days in 1872. In later life Verne entered local politics at Amiens, where had had a home. He also kept a house in Paris, in the street now named Boulevard Jules Verne, and a beloved yacht, the Saint Michel, named after his son. He died in 1905.

Book preview

Chapter I.

FROM 10.20 P.M. TO 10.47 P.M.

When ten o'clock struck, Michel Ardan, Barbicane, and Nicholl said good-bye to the numerous friends they left upon the earth. The two dogs, destined to acclimatise the canine race upon the lunar continents, were already imprisoned in the projectile. The three travellers approached the orifice of the enormous iron tube, and a crane lowered them to the conical covering of the bullet.

There an opening made on purpose let them down into the aluminium vehicle. The crane's tackling was drawn up outside, and the mouth of the Columbiad instantly cleared of its last scaffolding.

As soon as Nicholl and his companions were in the projectile he closed the opening by means of a strong plate screwed down inside. Other closely-fitting plates covered the lenticular glasses of the skylights. The travellers, hermetically inclosed in their metal prison, were in profound darkness.

And now, my dear companions, said Michel Ardan, let us make ourselves at home. I am a domestic man myself, and know how to make the best of any lodgings. First let us have a light; gas was not invented for moles!

Saying which the light-hearted fellow struck a match on the sole of his boot and then applied it to the burner of the receptacle, in which there was enough carbonised hydrogen, stored under strong pressure, for lighting and heating the bullet for 144 hours, or six days and six nights.

Once the gas lighted, the projectile presented the aspect of a comfortable room with padded walls, furnished with circular divans, the roof of which was in the shape of a dome.

The objects in it, weapons, instruments, and utensils, were solidly fastened to the sides in order to bear the parting shock with impunity. Every possible precaution had been taken to insure the success of so bold an experiment.

Michel Ardan examined everything, and declared himself quite satisfied with his quarters.

It is a prison, said he, but a travelling prison, and if I had the right to put my nose to the window I would take it on a hundred years' lease! You are smiling, Barbicane. You are thinking of something you do not communicate. Do you say to yourself that this prison may be our coffin? Our coffin let it be; I would not change it for Mahomet's, which only hangs in space, and does not move!

Whilst Michel Ardan was talking thus, Barbicane and Nicholl were making their last preparations.

It was 10.20 p.m. by Nicholl's chronometer when the three travellers were definitely walled up in their bullet. This chronometer was regulated to the tenth of a second by that of the engineer, Murchison. Barbicane looked at it.

My friends, said he, it is twenty minutes past ten; at thirteen minutes to eleven Murchison will set fire to the Columbiad; at that minute precisely we shall leave our spheroid. We have, therefore, still seven-and-twenty minutes to remain upon earth.

Twenty-six minutes and thirteen seconds, answered the methodical Nicholl.

Very well! cried Michel Ardan good-humouredly; in twenty-six minutes lots of things can be done. We can discuss grave moral or political questions, and even solve them. Twenty-six minutes well employed are worth more than twenty-six years of doing nothing. A few seconds of a Pascal or a Newton are more precious than the whole existence of a crowd of imbeciles.

And what do you conclude from that, talker eternal? asked President Barbicane.

I conclude that we have twenty-six minutes, answered Ardan.

Twenty-four only, said Nicholl.

Twenty-four, then, if you like, brave captain, answered Ardan; twenty-four minutes, during which we might investigate--

Michel, said Barbicane, during our journey we shall have plenty of time to investigate the deepest questions. Now we must think of starting.

Are we not ready?

Certainly. But there are still some precautions to be taken to deaden the first shock as much as possible!

Have we not water-cushions placed between movable partitions elastic enough to protect us sufficiently?

I hope so, Michel, answered Barbicane gently; but I am not quite sure!

Ah, the joker! exclaimed Michel Ardan. He hopes! He is not quite sure! And he waits till we are encased to make this deplorable acknowledgment! I ask to get out.

By what means? asked Barbicane.

Well! said Michel Ardan, it would be difficult. We are in the train, and the guard's whistle will be heard in twenty-four minutes.

Twenty! ejaculated Nicholl.

The three travellers looked at one another for a few seconds. Then they examined all the objects imprisoned with them.

Everything is in its place, said Barbicane. The question now is where we can place ourselves so as best to support the departing shock. The position we assume must be important too--we must prevent the blood rushing too violently to our heads.

That is true, said Nicholl.

Then, answered Michel Ardan, always ready to suit the action to the word, we will stand on our heads like the clowns at the circus.

No, said Barbicane; but let us lie on our sides; we shall thus resist the shock better. When the bullet starts it will not much matter whether we are inside or in front.

If it comes to 'not much matter' I am more reassured, answered Michel Ardan.

Do you approve of my idea, Nicholl? asked Barbicane.

Entirely, answered the captain. Still thirteen minutes and a-half.

Nicholl is not a man, exclaimed Michel; he is a chronometer marking the seconds, and with eight holes in--

But his companions were no longer listening to him, and they were making their last preparations with all the coolness imaginable. They looked like two methodical travellers taking their places in the train and making themselves as comfortable as possible. One wonders, indeed, of what materials these American hearts are made, to which the approach of the most frightful danger does not add a single pulsation.

Three beds, thick and solidly made, had been placed in the projectile. Nicholl and Barbicane placed them in the centre of the disc that formed the movable flooring. There the three travellers were to lie down a few minutes before their departure.

In the meanwhile Ardan, who could not remain quiet, turned round his narrow prison like a wild animal in a cage, talking to his friends and his dogs, Diana and Satellite, to whom it will be noticed he had some time before given these significant names.

Up, Diana! up, Satellite! cried he, exciting them. You are going to show to the Selenite dogs how well-behaved the dogs of the earth can be! That will do honour to the canine race. If we ever come back here I will bring back a cross-breed of 'moon-dogs' that will become all the rage.

If there are any dogs in the moon, said Barbicane.

There are some, affirmed Michel Ardan, the same as there are horses, cows, asses, and hens. I wager anything we shall find some hens.

I bet a hundred dollars we find none, said Nicholl.

Done, captain, answered Ardan, shaking hands with Nicholl. But, by-the-bye, you have lost three bets with the president, for the funds necessary for the enterprise were provided, the casting succeeded, and lastly, the Columbiad was loaded without accident--that makes six thousand dollars.

Yes, answered Nicholl. Twenty-three minutes and six seconds to eleven.

I hear, captain. Well, before another quarter of an hour is over you will have to make over another nine thousand dollars to the president, four thousand because the Columbiad will not burst, and five thousand because the bullet will rise higher than six miles into the air.

I have the dollars, answered Nicholl, striking his coat pocket, and I only want to pay.

Come, Nicholl, I see you are a man of order, what I never could be; but allow me to tell you that your series of bets cannot be very advantageous to you.

Why? asked Barbicane.

Because if you win the first the Columbiad will have burst, and the bullet with it, and Barbicane will not be there to pay you your dollars.

My wager is deposited in the Baltimore Bank, answered Barbicane simply; and in default of Nicholl it will go to his heirs.

What practical men you are! cried Michel Ardan. I admire you as much as I do not understand you.

Eighteen minutes to eleven, said Nicholl.

Only five minutes more, answered Barbicane.

Yes, five short minutes! replied Michel Ardan. And we are shut up in a bullet at the bottom of a cannon 900 feet long! and under this bullet there are 400,000 lbs. of gun-cotton, worth more than 1,600,000 lbs. of ordinary powder! And friend Murchison, with his chronometer in hand and his eye fixed on the hand and his finger on the electric knob, is counting the seconds to hurl us into the planetary regions.

Enough, Michel, enough! said Barbicane in a grave tone. Let us prepare ourselves. A few seconds only separate us from a supreme moment. Your hands, my friends.

Yes, cried Michel Ardan, more moved than he wished to appear.

The three bold companions shook hands.

God help us! said the religious president.

Michel Ardan and Nicholl lay down on their beds in the centre of the floor.

Thirteen minutes to eleven, murmured the captain.

Twenty seconds more! Barbicane rapidly put out the gas, and lay down beside his companions.

The profound silence was only broken by the chronometer beating the seconds.

Suddenly a frightful shock was felt, and the projectile, under the impulsion of 6,000,000,000 litres of gas developed by the deflagration of the pyroxyle, rose into space.

Chapter II.

THE FIRST HALF-HOUR.

What had happened? What was the effect of the frightful shock? Had the ingenuity of the constructors of the projectile been attended by a happy result? Was the effect of the shock deadened, thanks to the springs, the four buffers, the water-cushions, and the movable partitions? Had they triumphed over the frightful impulsion of the initial velocity of 11,000 metres a second? This was evidently the question the thousands of witnesses of the exciting scene asked themselves. They forgot the object of the journey, and only thought of the travellers! Suppose one of them--J.T. Maston, for instance--had been able to get a glimpse of the interior of the projectile, what would he have seen?

Nothing then. The obscurity was profound in the bullet. Its cylindro-conical sides had resisted perfectly. There was not a break, a crack, or a dint in them. The admirable projectile was not hurt by the intense deflagration of the powders, instead of being liquefied, as it was feared, into a shower of aluminium.

In the interior there was very little disorder on the whole. A few objects had been violently hurled up to the roof, but the most important did not seem to have suffered from the shock. Their fastenings were intact.

On the movable disc, crushed down to the bottom by the smashing of the partitions and the escape of the water, three bodies lay motionless. Did Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michel Ardan still breathe? Was the projectile nothing but a metal coffin carrying three corpses into space?

A few minutes after the departure of the bullet one of these bodies moved, stretched out its arms, lifted up its head, and succeeded in getting upon its knees. It was Michel Ardan. He felt himself, uttered a sonorous Hum, then said--

Michel Ardan, complete. Now for the others!

The courageous Frenchman wanted to get up, but he could not stand. His head vacillated; his blood, violently sent up to his head, blinded him. He felt like a drunken man.

Brrr! said he. I feel as though I had been drinking two bottles of Corton, only that was not so agreeable to swallow!

Then passing his hand across his forehead several times, and rubbing his temples, he called out in a firm voice--

Nicholl! Barbicane!

He waited anxiously. No answer. Not even a sigh to indicate that the hearts of his companions still beat. He reiterated his call. Same silence.

The devil! said he. They seem as though they had fallen from the fifth story upon their heads! Bah! he added with the imperturbable confidence that nothing could shake, if a Frenchman can get upon his knees, two Americans will have no difficulty in getting upon their feet. But, first of all, let us have a light on the subject.

Ardan felt life come back to him in streams. His blood became calm, and resumed its ordinary circulation. Fresh efforts restored his equilibrium. He succeeded in getting up, took a match out of his pocket, and struck it; then putting it to the burner he lighted the gas. The meter was not in the least damaged. The gas had not escaped. Besides, the smell would have betrayed it, and had this been the case, Michel Ardan could not with impunity have lighted a match in a medium filled with hydrogen. The gas, mixed in the air, would have produced a detonating mixture, and an explosion would have finished what a shock had perhaps begun.

As soon as the gas was lighted Ardan bent down over his two companions. Their bodies were thrown one upon the other, Nicholl on the top, Barbicane underneath.

Ardan raised the captain, propped him up against a divan, and rubbed him vigorously. This friction, administered skilfully, reanimated Nicholl, who opened his eyes, instantly recovered his presence of mind, seized Ardan's hand, and then looking round him--

And Barbicane? he asked.

Each in turn, answered Michel Ardan tranquilly. I began with you, Nicholl, because you were on the top. Now I'll go to Barbicane.

That said, Ardan and Nicholl raised the president of the Gun Club and put him on a divan. Barbicane seemed to have suffered more than his companions. He was bleeding, but Nicholl was glad to find that the hemorrhage only came from a slight wound in his shoulder. It was a simple scratch, which he carefully closed.

Nevertheless, Barbicane was some time before he came to himself, which frightened his two friends, who did not spare their friction.

He is breathing, however, said Nicholl, putting his ear to the breast of the wounded man.

Yes, answered Ardan, he is breathing like a man who is in the habit of doing it daily. Rub, Nicholl, rub with all your might.

And the two improvised practitioners set to work with such a will and managed so well that Barbicane at last came to his senses. He opened his eyes, sat up, took the hands of his two friends, and his first words were--

Nicholl, are we going on?

Nicholl and Ardan looked at one another. They had not yet thought about the projectile. Their first anxiety had been for the travellers, not for the vehicle.

Well, really, are we going on? repeated Michel Ardan.

Or are we tranquilly resting on the soil of Florida? asked Nicholl.

Or at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico? added Michel Ardan.

Impossible! cried President Barbicane.

This double hypothesis suggested by his two friends immediately recalled him to life and energy.

They could not yet decide the question. The apparent immovability of the bullet and the want of communication with the exterior prevented them finding it out. Perhaps the projectile was falling through space. Perhaps after rising a short distance it had fallen upon the earth, or even into the Gulf of Mexico, a fall which the narrowness of the Floridian peninsula rendered possible.

The case was grave, the problem interesting. It was necessary to solve it as soon as possible. Barbicane, excited, and by his moral energy triumphing over his physical weakness, stood up and listened. A profound silence reigned outside. But the thick padding was sufficient to shut out all the noises on earth; However, one circumstance struck Barbicane. The temperature in the interior of the projectile was singularly high. The president drew out a thermometer from the envelope that protected it and consulted it. The instrument showed 81° Fahr.

Yes! he then exclaimed--yes, we are moving! This stifling heat oozes through the sides of our projectile. It is produced by friction against the atmosphere. It will soon diminish; because we are already moving in space, and after being almost suffocated we shall endure intense cold.

What! asked Michel Ardan, do you mean to say that we are already beyond the terrestrial atmosphere?

"Without the slightest doubt, Michel. Listen to me. It now wants but five minutes to eleven. It is already eight minutes since we started. Now, if our initial velocity has not

Reviews for Round the Moon

[la2bkk · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Rarely has a sequel been so much worse than the original. While From the Earth to the Moon was one of my favorite 19th century science fiction works, this sequel was tedious, unimaginative and uninspiring. As a previous reviewer noted, Verne's attempt was little more than a bland cartographic journey of the moon.

[npjacobsen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had heard people talk about this book, but had never taken the time to read it. Written in 1865, it is amazing that Verne got most of the science right. The main difference between the book and the actual moon shot some 100 years later was the placement of the propulsion system. The dialogue seems rather basic and the book is probably geared to more of a middle school type audience. The explanations of all the problems to be overcome and the discussions of the solutions became tedious at times, but Verne was just showing he had considered this story very carefully. This is still a classic and I recommend it to any science fiction fan. Jules Verne was truly a man way ahead of his time.

[bnielsen_30 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

USA, Maryland, ca 1870Indeholder kapitlerne "1. Kanonklubben", "2. Pr?sident Barbicanes Meddelelse", "3. Virkningen af Barbicanes Meddelelse", "4. Svar fra Observatoriet i Cambridge", "5. Maanens Roman", "6. Hvad man nu ikke mere kan v?re bekendt at v?re uvidende om i de Forenede Stater", "7. Hymne til Kuglen", "8. Kanonens Historie", "9. Sp?rgsmaalet om Krudtet", "10. Een Fjende mod 25 Millioner Venner", "11. Florida og Texas", "12. Fra hele Jordkloden", "13. Stone's-Hill", "14. Med Hakke og Murske", "15. St?befesten", "16. K?mpekanonen", "17. Et Telegram", "18. Atlantas Passager", "19. Et Folkem?de", "20. Angreb og Modv?rge", "21. Hvorledes en Franskmand ordner en Aff?re", "22. Den nye Borger i de forenede Stater", "23. Projektil-Waggonen", "24. Teleskopet i Klippebjergene", "25. De sidste Begivenheder", "26. Fyr!", "27. Overskyet Himmel", "28. En ny Stjerne".Kanonklubben best?r af folk, der har opfundet en ny kanon eller i alt fald forbedret en, eller et andet skydev?ben til n?d. Jo st?rre kanon, jo mere anseelse nyder man i klubben.Men nu er der fred og ingen fare. Hvor kedeligt. Kanonklubbens pr?sident Impey Barbicane fatter den ide at sende et projektil til M?nen med en k?mpekanon. Projektilet skal v?re s? stort at der er plads til tre mand i det, Barbicane selv, en rival Nicholl der laver panser og ikke kanoner og endelig en fransk eventyrer, Michel Ardan. Nicholl tror ikke p? projektet og laver en r?kke v?ddem?l med Barbicane om at han ikke kan skaffe pengene, at kanonen ikke kan bygges osv.Jules Verne regnede p? tingene, men ignorerede umuligheder. Projektilet er lavet af aluminium, st?dd?mpet og affyret med store m?ngder skydebomuld fra et nedgravet kanonr?r. V?gtl?shed og iltforsyning og rummets kulde bliver ogs? regnet ind.I praksis er det sv?rt at f? mundingshastigheden h?j nok og accelerationen bliver alt for h?j til at nogen kan overleve den. Ilt og mad kan man derimod sagtens pakke nok af til at overleve turen.Barbicane, Nicholl og Ardan bliver sendt afsted efter planen med en hastighed p? ca 11 km/s.Der er en anden del, der fort?ller om rejsen, men den har jeg ikke i denne udgave. I forhold til kunstforlagets udgave er der byttet lidt rundt p? nogle kapitler. Folk har det med at opfatte Jules Vernes b?ger som et forhandlingsopl?g snarere end som et f?rdigt v?rk, som man ikke m? pille i, n?r man overs?tter.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Once the Civil War has ended the members of the Baltimore Gun Club are without a purpose; they had been busy improving weaponry during the war. Their president, Impey Barbicane, has a compelling idea, however. They will build a giant cannon and send a projectile to the moon!

The fourth of the Extraordinary Voyages series, this was first published in 1865. That was 104 years before the USA actually did send a man to the moon, and it?s interesting to read the ?science? and compare Verne?s suppositions with what actually happened in 1969.

Verne populates the novel with a colorful cast of characters. The members of the Gun Club are mostly veterans, and many had been severely injured on the battlefield: ?Pitcairn calculated that in the Gun club there was not quite one arm for every four men, and only one leg for every three.? But these men are hardly disabled; they have the courage of their convictions and nothing will deter them from achieving their goals. There?s a great deal of humor in the interactions between the characters, as they argue among themselves what properties the cannon and projectile will have and where and when the launch will take place.

It was an enjoyable adventure tale, though I admit to skimming over much of the scientific calculations. It?s easy to see why these Extraordinary Voyages have remained popular for over a century.

[michael_rose-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Surprisingly prescient in many ways, though some details were overlooked even by the standards of the time in which it was written (being shot out of canon capable of escape velocity ? it's putting all its thrust into the initial shot and none thereafter, because it's not a missile ? would cause sufficient g forces to kill you). Perhaps this is the fault of the characters, and not the author, but I cannot recall anyone involved having thought about how to get back.

[sf_addict · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a quirky little book! The synopsis sounds ridiculous by today's standards; design a 900 foot cannon to shoot a huge ball to the moon using cotton impreganted with some highly flammable substance as 'fuel' (called Pyroxite)And yet the book is laced with good sound science that one would expect to find in a modern hard SF book! The distance to the moon is known as is its orbital velocity and details such as the apogee and perigee of the moon are figured into the itineray. Its all jolly good fun with a mild poke at the Americans-even though the main characters are American and it reads as if written by an American, at times one detects the odd poke at the 'Yankees' as Verne's character refers to his colleagues. A group called the Gun Club form with the intention of making bigger and better arms, but when peace is declared its members feel somehow deprived of an enemy to fight and so must look elsewhere. Then up pops the idea of a huge gun, bigger than anything they have seen before, and it will be used to fire a cannon at the moon to gain relations with the selenites up there (i.e. colonise!) and plant the American flag declaring the world theirs! But thats how people thought back in the day, and bear in mind this was written over 100 years before the 1969 moon landing!All in all quite incredible and great fun!

[markbstephenson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Amusing sequel which improves somewhat on From the Earth to the Moon.

[choccy_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Whoa, thank goodness I didn't read the back cover of the book, or else several fun surprises would be spoiled.Holy Verne, it's been so long since my last fix of his work. Two years perhaps. From the Earth to the Moon is light but still well written. This book was published in 1865, more than a hundred years (!) prior to the first successful moon landing by the men of Apollo 11.I'm not able to prove all the scientific calculation and details described so eloquently here, but they're sure as hell convincing enough. Again, Verne never ceases to amaze me with his knack of making technical details to be interesting.He actually made some correct predictions, such as:1. the country who successfully sent a manned mission to the moon is the US. Well, he did manage to include a French guy to join the mission - nationalistic interest perhaps?2. the two states contesting to be the launch site were Florida and Texas. Yep, and Florida won too in real life.3. the shape of the capsule and there were three people on board. Remember Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins?Verne did see far into the future. And he complemented all of those with wisecracking humor in between. Je vous adore beaucoup, monsieur!Distance is an empty word, distance does not exist!Believe in the power of imagination and let it flow, because you'll never know what the future holds.

[prop2gether · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While the science about the moon is certainly dated, this adventure is still chockful of enthusiastic suppositions about what might be on the moon. There were several sections which were dry calculations, but the chapters were short and the story kept moving. In fact, there were some assumptions Verne made which are very close to fact, and the troubles which the trio encounter in their projectile mirrored some of those of Apollo 13, many years later--and the characters prefigure some of the resolutions (think about the problems with oxygen). All in all, I enjoyed the read.

[john257hopper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mostly rather dull, lacking the sense of dynamism and adventure of Verne's other classics, at least until the final third of the novel when Captain Nicholls properly joins the plot as Michel Ardan's and Barbicane's antagonist. The early part of the book reads too much like a dry Victorian technical manual on casting cannons. I also find it difficult to get past the now ridiculous science.

[goodwillbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

According to the Introduction by Robert A. W. Lowndes, "From the Earth to the Moon" is the first story of a moon-flight using the rocket principle. The book was a success in its time, and given the incomplete publishing history I found, with the most recent edition published in 2006, is still a success. I would venture to say it has more to offer to today's audience than simply a classic adventure story, which it certainly remains. But it is also, today, a fascinating historical artifact, documenting to some extent the degree of scientific knowledge and sophistication of the 19th century audience. The story presents some scientific knowledge, which is useful; it presents other scientific conjectures which are laughable, but quaint (for instance, upon completion of the telescope, the country was awaiting word or sightings of settlements and "roaming herds of lunar animals"). Despite the antiquated science, the book continues to work as a classic adventure story, and Verne captures the excitement of the country's population monitoring the progress of the "great experiment"; it is easy to see why the book was a success, and it's enjoyable to consider the reactions of people reading it upon its initial publication.

[sdtaylor555 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

So boring, and you know most of this won't work now so you're thinking what's the point. The tech talk was mostly over my head too.