Around The World In Eighty Days by Jules Verne
I recently re-read this classic. Phileas Fogg, a true English gentleman, takes up a bet at his club that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days. The unflappable Fogg has adventures as he and his new servant, Passepartout, rush from train to boat on their journey.
This adventure was set in 1872 when trains were the fast way to travel on land and railroads connected many cities worldwide. The rapid development of rail travel and technology in general made this feat possible. Since this connectedness was so new and so much of the world seemed so exotic and unreachable the feat did seem impossible to many making this a bet that caught popular interest.
These days computers worldwide are connected by the Internet.
Hand help computers with large screens and wireless Internet
connections are purpose built to replace books. Amazon's
Kindle
I bought a particularly nice hardcover edition at Barnes and Noble. It was in a bargain bin for a couple of bucks. The price printed on the dust jacket is $9.98 but I bought mine cheaper. I didn't provide a direct Amazon link because I have no idea which of the hundreds of different printings I posses. The copyright on this classic has expired allowing anybody who desires the right to print their own version.
When I finally picked up this copy to read it felt good. It is a fairly large hardcover - the pages are 7 1/2" x 9 1/2". It has a glossy dustcover with good art work. There are lots of drawings throughout the book, credit goes to Robert Ingpen a well respected, often published Australian illustrator.
The pages are a particularly high quality coated stock. Coated stock is paper with a high clay content. It is heavy, bright and reflects light in a very diffuse way. The hardcover book is well stitched. Care was taken in choosing a readable and attractive font. The layout is breezy with plenty of space to delineate paragraphs and chapters.
The paper and ink created words that eased their way into my mind. The heft of the book made me feel as if the book was an extension of my arms as it lay in my hands. When my fingers turned a cool and smooth page a feeling of luxury ticked my spine. The words remained readable even as the page curved while being turned.
As the descendent of writers and publishers, reader of thousands of books and having worked in the printing industry I've developed a love of books. I'm not a snob, I love used paperbacks purchased from the reject bin at the local library. However reading a well produced book is a sublime experience for me. As long as people like me live there will be a demand for books printed on paper.
I very strongly recommend searching the bargain bins at your local bookstore for a luxury, super high quality classic. Grab a glass of water or milk, turn on the reading lamp and enjoy the book while you are enjoying the writing.
Around The World In Eighty Days read September '09 - Highly Recommended
This page written 9/18/09. Copyright (c) Carl Wohlforth 2009
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