While Five Weeks in a Balloon endures as an exciting and adventurous text, it also provides a unique perspective on the intersection of nineteenth-century science, literature, and the exploration and colonization of Africa. The novel is a curious mix of fantasy and reality, referencing the journeys of real-life adventurers while imagining an innovative and as-yet-unperfected form of exploration, the long-distance hot air balloon. This marked the beginning of an illustrious and lucrative career for Verne, whose works have inspired scientists, writers, and filmmakers for over a century. Published in France in 1863, Five Weeks in a Balloon was translated for English-speaking audiences in 1869. Jules Verne's Five Weeks in a Balloon is a classic novel of hope and determination that asks today's reader to take to the air, if only for a short time, in search of what must always defy belief. On the way, they must overcome extreme thirst, withstand assaults from hostile tribes, and stage a series of daring rescues and brilliant escapes. As they make their way through air across the unexplored regions of Africa, they attempt to do what has never been done before: discover the source of the Nile.

Samuel Fergusson embarks on the adventure of a lifetime with his trusted servant, Joe, and loyal friend, Dick Kennedy. Five Weeks in a Balloon is not only the first installment in Jules Verne's celebrated Voyages Extraordinaires series, but also the first of Verne's works to earn him widespread popularity as a writer of science fiction and adventure novels.įollowing his invention of an ingenious new air balloon capable of long-distance flight, Dr.

Five weeks in a balloon book