Shipwrecked Family: Marooned with Uncle Robinson

By Jules Verne

Marooned With Uncle Robinson Castaway by pirates on a deserted island Without tools or supplies to survive A mother and her children have only a kindly old sailor to help. But what explains the strange flora and fauna they find on the isle?

The second volume in the Palik series, presented by the North American Jules Verne Society, offers another story never before published in English. Shipwrecked Family was rejected by Verne’s publisher, so rather than finish it, he rewrote it with new characters. That book became the classic The Mysterious Island in which Captain Nemo made his last appearance. Presented here is Verne’s original draft of that novel—one which is very different from the book that it eventually became.

Expert translation is provided by Sidney Kravitz, also translator of the definitive modern edition of The Mysterious Island.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BearManor Media
• Release date: Jul 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370683277

Jules Verne

Jules Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. Verne is considered a major French and European author, as he has a wide influence on avant-garde and surrealist literary movements, and is also credited as one of the primary inspirations for the steampunk genre. However, his influence does not stop in the literary sphere. Verne’s work has also provided invaluable impact on scientific fields as well. Verne is best known for his series of bestselling adventure novels, which earned him such an immense popularity that he is one of the world’s most translated authors.

Book preview

Chapter I

The North Pacific Ocean — Abandoned boat — Mother and her four children — Man at the helm — Will of heaven be done! — Question without an answer.

The most deserted portion of the Pacific Ocean is this vast expanse of water bounded by Asia and America to the west and to the east, and by the Aleutian Islands and the Sandwiches to the north and to the south. Merchant vessels hardly ever venture on this sea. There is no port of call and the currents there are capricious. The ocean going vessels which carry the produce of Australia to the western part of America travel at lower latitudes; only the traffic between Japan and California enlivens this northern part of the Pacific but there is not much of that. The trans Pacific line which connects Yokohama to San Francisco follows a somewhat lower great circle route. The region between the fortieth and fiftieth north latitude can hence be called the desert. Perhaps some whaler sometimes chances on this nearly unknown sea; but he hurries to cross the belt of the Aleutian Islands in order to reach the Bering Strait, beyond which large whales take refuge from vivid pursuit by fishermen’s