In the Year 2889

By Jules Verne

Article purportedly by Jules Verne, but probably by his son. According to the editor's note at the beginning: "In the Year 2889 was first published in the Forum, February, 1889; p. 262. It was published in France the next year. Although published under the name of Jules Verne, it is now believed to be chiefly if not entirely the work of Jules' son, Michel Verne. In any event, many of the topics in the article echo Verne's ideas."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Start Classics
• Release date: Jan 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781609770990

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

In The Year 2889

By Jules Verne

Start Publishing LLC

Copyright © 2013 by Start Publishing LLC

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

First Start Publishing eBook edition October 2013

Start Publishing is a registered trademark of Start Publishing LLC

Manufactured in the United States of America

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ISBN 978-1-60977-099-0

Little though they seem to think of it, the people of this twenty-ninth century live continually in fairyland. Surfeited as they are with marvels, they are indifferent in presence of each new marvel. To them all seems natural. Could they but duly appreciate the refinements of civilization in our day; could they but compare the present with the past, and so better comprehend the advance we have made! How much fairer they would find our modern towns, with populations amounting sometimes to 10,000,000 souls; their streets 300 feet wide, their houses 1000 feet in height; with a temperature the same in all seasons; with their lines of aërial locomotion crossing the sky in every direction! If they would but picture to themselves the state of things that once existed, when through muddy streets rumbling boxes on wheels, drawn by horses--yes, by horses!--were the only means of conveyance. Think of the railroads of the olden time, and you will be able to appreciate the pneumatic tubes through which to-day one travels at the rate of 1000 miles an hour. Would not our contemporaries prize the telephone and the telephote more highly if they had not forgotten the telegraph?

Reviews for In the Year 2889

[carolyninjoy-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the Year 2889 by Jules Vern is an interesting example of forecasting a future possibility. It was first published in February 1889. Many of his described devices, while called by different names, have come about at the present time. For the imagination involved I gave it four stars."Hence is sprung a pleaid of inventor, its brightest star being our great Joseph Jackson." A pleiad is any group of eminent or brilliant persons or things, especially when seven in number. I would like to thank Kypros Press & Amazon for a complimentary kindle copy of this short story. This did not influence my opinion for this review.

[nodosaurus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the far future, as seen by someone in the distant past. It has some interesting point and visions, but does not hold up to the current state of science fiction.  It is short, and rather odd. It's all done with mirrors.

[knipfty · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Let's face it, this is an old book. But when you really stop and think about what he got right and what he got wrong, you realize that this was a special person.JV looked a 1,000 years into the future and thought about what man might accomplish. The thing is, many of the things he dreamed up happened in about a 100 years!