Five Weeks in a Balloon

Jules Verne

• Publisher: Mint Editions
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781513266770
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Classics
• Index: Literature

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.

Following his invention of an ingenious new air balloon capable of long-distance flight, Dr. Samuel Fergusson embarks on the adventure of a lifetime with his trusted servant, Joe, and loyal friend, Dick Kennedy. 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. On the way, they must overcome extreme thirst, withstand assaults from hostile tribes, and stage a series of daring rescues and brilliant escapes. 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.

Published in France in 1863, Five Weeks in a Balloon was translated for English-speaking audiences in 1869. This marked the beginning of an illustrious and lucrative career for Verne, whose works have inspired scientists, writers, and filmmakers for over a century. 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. 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.

With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this new edition of Jules Verne's Five Weeks in a Balloon is a classic novel reimagined for modern readers.

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Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• 1. The End of a Much-Applauded Speech.—The Presentation of Dr. Samuel Ferguson.—Excelsior.—Full-Length Portrait of the Doctor.—A Fatalist Convinced.—A Dinner at the Travellers’ Club.—Several Toasts for the Occasion
• 2. The Article in the Daily Telegraph.—War Between the Scientific Journals.—Mr. Petermann Backs His Friend Dr. Ferguson.—Reply of the Savant Koner.—Bets Made.—Sundry Propositions Offered to the Doctor
• 3. The Doctor’s Friend.—The Origin of their Friendship.—Dick Kennedy at London.—An Unexpected but Not Very Consoling Proposal.—A Proverb by No Means Cheering.—A Few Names from the African Martyrology.—The Advantages of a Balloon.—Dr. Ferguson’s Secret
• 4. African Explorations.—Barth, Richardson, Overweg, Werne, Brun-Rollet, Penney, Andrea, Debono, Miani, Guillaume Lejean, Bruce, Krapf and Rebmann, Maizan, Roscher, Burton and Speke
• 5. Kennedy’s Dreams.—Articles and Pronouns in the Plural.—Dick’s Insinuations.—A Promenade Over the Map of Africa.—What Is Contained Between Two Points of the Compass.—Expeditions Now on Foot.—Speke and Grant.—Krapf, De Decken, and De Heuglin
• 6. A Servant—Match Him!—He Can See the Satellites of Jupiter.—Dick and Joe Hard at It.—Doubt and Faith.—The Weighing Ceremony.—Joe and Wellington.—He Gets a Half-Crown
• 7. Geometrical Details.—Calculation of the Capacity of the Balloon.—The Double Receptacle.—The Covering.—The Car.—The Mysterious Apparatus.—The Provisions and Stores.—The Final Summing Up
• 8. Joe’s Importance.—The Commander of the Resolute.—Kennedy’s Arsenal.—Mutual Amenities.—The Farewell Dinner.—Departure on the 21st of February.—The Doctor’s Scientific Sessions.—Duveyrier.—Livingstone.—Details of the Aerial Voyage.—Kennedy Silenced
• 9. They Double the Cape.—The Forecastle.—A Course of Cosmography by Professor Joe.—Concerning the Method of Guiding Balloons.—How to Seek Out Atmospheric Currents.—Eureka
• 10. Former Experiments.—The Doctor’s Five Receptacles.—The Gas Cylinder.—The Calorifere.—The System of Manoeuvring.—Success Certain
• 11. The Arrival at Zanzibar.—The English Consul.—Ill-Will of the Inhabitants.—The Island of Koumbeni.—The Rain-Makers.—Inflation of the Balloon.—Departure on the 18th of April.—The Last Good-By.—The Victoria
• 12. Crossing the Strait.—The Mrima.—Dick’s Remark and Joe’s Proposition.—A Recipe for Coffee-Making.—The Uzaramo.—The Unfortunate Maizan.—Mount Dathumi.—The Doctor’s Cards.—Night Under a Nopal
• 13. Change of Weather.—Kennedy Has the Fever.—The Doctor’s Medicine.—Travels on Land.—The Basin of Imenge.—Mount Rubeho.—Six Thousand Feet Elevation.—A Halt in the Daytime
• 14. The Forest of Gum-Trees.—The Blue Antelope.—The Rallying-Signal.—An Unexpected Attack.—The Kanyeme.—A Night in the Open Air.—The Mabunguru.—Jihoue-La-Mkoa.—A Supply of Water.—Arrival at Kazeh
• 15. Kazeh.—The Noisy Market-Place.—The Appearance of the Balloon.—The Wangaga.—The Sons of the Moon.—The Doctor’s Walk.—The Population of the Place.—The Royal Tembe.—The Sultan’s Wives.—A Royal Drunken-Bout.—Joe an Object of Worship.—How They Dance in the Moon.—A Reaction.—Two Moons in One Sky.—The Instability of Divine Honors
• 16. Symptoms of a Storm.—The Country of the Moon.—The Future of the African Continent.—The Last Machine of All.—A View of the Country at Sunset.—Flora and Fauna.—The Tempest.—The Zone of Fire.—The Starry Heavens.
• 17. The Mountains of the Moon.—An Ocean of Verdure.—They Cast Anchor.—The Towing Elephant.—A Running Fire.—Death of the Monster.—The Field-Oven.—A Meal on the Grass.—A Night on the Ground
• 18. The Karagwah.—Lake Ukereoue.—A Night on an Island.—The Equator.—Crossing the Lake.—The Cascades.—A View of the Country.—The Sources of the Nile.—The Island of Benga.—The Signature of Andrea Debono.—The Flag With the Arms of England
• 19. The Nile.—The Trembling Mountain.—A Remembrance of the Country.—The Narratives of the Arabs.—The Nyam-Nyams.—Joe’s Shrewd Cogitations.—The Balloon Runs the Gantlet.—Aerostatic Ascensions.—Madame Blanchard.
• 20. The Celestial Bottle.—The Fig-Palms.—The Mammoth Trees.—The Tree of War.—The Winged Team.—Two Native Tribes in Battle.—A Massacre.—An Intervention from Above
• 21. Strange Sounds.—A Night Attack.—Kennedy and Joe in the Tree.—Two Shots.—“Help! Help!”—Reply in French.—The Morning.—The Missionary.—The Plan of Rescue
• 22. The Jet of Light.—The Missionary.—The Rescue in a Ray of Electricity.—A Lazarist Priest.—But Little Hope.—The Doctor’s Care.—A Life of Self-Denial.—Passing a Volcano
• 23. Joe in a Fit of Rage.—The Death of a Good Man.—The Night of Watching by the Body.—Barrenness and Drought.—The Burial.—The Quartz Rocks.—Joe’s Hallucinations.—A Precious Ballast.—A Survey of the Gold-Bearing Mountains.—The Beginning of Joe’s Despair
• 24. The Wind Dies Away.—The Vicinity of the Desert.—The Mistake in the Water Supply.—The Nights of the Equator.—Dr. Ferguson’s Anxieties.—The Situation Flatly Stated.—Energetic Replies of Kennedy and Joe.—One Night More
• 25. A Little Philosophy.—A Cloud on the Horizon.—In the Midst of a Fog.—The Strange Balloon.—An Exact View of the Victoria.—The Palm-Trees.—Traces of a Caravan.—The Well in the Midst of the Desert
• 26. One Hundred and Thirteen Degrees.—The Doctor’s Reflections.—A Desperate Search.—The Cylinder Goes Out.—One Hundred and Twenty-Two Degrees.—Contemplation of the Desert.—A Night Walk.—Solitude.—Debility.—Joe’s Prospects.—He Gives Himself One Day More
• 27. Terrific Heat.—Hallucinations.—The Last Drops of Water.—Nights of Despair.—An Attempt at Suicide.—The Simoom.—The Oasis.—The Lion and Lioness.
• 28. An Evening of Delight.—Joe’s Culinary Performances.—A Dissertation on Raw Meat.—The Narrative of James Bruce.—Camping Out.—Joe’s Dreams.—The Barometer Begins to Fall.—The Barometer Rises Again.—Preparations for Departure.—The Tempest
• 29. Signs of Vegetation.—The Fantastic Notion of a French Author.—A Magnificent Country.—The Kingdom of Adamova.—The Explorations of Speke and Burton Connected With Those of Dr. Barth.—The Atlantika Mountains.—The River Benoue.—The City of Yola.—The Bagele.—Mount Mendif
• 30. Mosfeia.—The Sheik.—Denham, Clapperton, and Oudney.—Vogel.—The Capital of Loggoum.—Toole.—Becalmed Above Kernak.—The Governor and His Court.—The Attack.—The Incendiary Pigeons
• 31. Departure in the Night-Time.—All Three.—Kennedy’s Instincts.—Precautions.—The Course of the Shari River.—Lake Tchad.—The Water of the Lake.—The Hippopotamus.—One Bullet Thrown Away
• 32. The Capital of Bornou.—The Islands of the Biddiomahs.—The Condors.—The Doctor’s Anxieties.—His Precautions.—An Attack in Mid-Air.—The Balloon Covering Torn.—The Fall.—Sublime Self-Sacrifice.—The Northern Coast of the Lake
• 33. Conjectures.—Reestablishment of the Victoria’s Equilibrium.—Dr. Ferguson’s New Calculations.—Kennedy’s Hunt.—A Complete Exploration of Lake Tchad.—Tangalia.—The Return.—Lari
• 34. The Hurricane.—A Forced Departure.—Loss of an Anchor.—Melancholy Reflections.—The Resolution Adopted.—The Sand-Storm.—The Buried Caravan.—A Contrary Yet Favorable Wind.—The Return Southward.—Kennedy at His Post
• 35. What Happened to Joe.—The Island of the Biddiomahs.—The Adoration Shown Him.—The Island That Sank.—The Shores of the Lake.—The Tree of the Serpents.—The Foot-Tramp.—Terrible Suffering.—Mosquitoes and Ants.—Hunger.—The Victoria Seen.—She Disappears.—The Swamp.—One Last Despairing Cry
• 36. A Throng of People on the Horizon.—A Troop of Arabs.—The Pursuit.—It Is He.—Fall from Horseback.—The Strangled Arab.—A Ball from Kennedy.—Adroit Manoeuvres.—Caught Up Flying.—Joe Saved at Last
• 37. The Western Route.—Joe Wakes Up.—His Obstinacy.—End of Joe’s Narrative.—Tagelei.—Kennedy’s Anxieties.—The Route to the North.—A Night Near Aghades
• 38. A Rapid Passage.—Prudent Resolves.—Caravans in Sight.—Incessant Rains.—Goa.—The Niger.—Golberry, Geoffroy, and Gray.—Mungo Park.—Laing.—Rene Caillie.—Clapperton.—John and Richard Lander
• 39. The Country in the Elbow of the Niger.—A Fantastic View of the Hombori Mountains.—Kabra.—Timbuctoo.—The Chart of Dr. Barth.—A Decaying City.—Whither Heaven Wills
• 40. Dr. Ferguson’s Anxieties.—Persistent Movement Southward.—A Cloud of Grasshoppers.—A View of Jenne.—A View of Sego.—Change of the Wind.—Joe’s Regrets
• 41. The Approaches to Senegal.—The Balloon Sinks Lower and Lower.—They Keep Throwing Out, Throwing Out.—The Marabout Al-Hadji.—Messrs. Pascal, Vincent, and Lambert.—A Rival of Mohammed.—The Difficult Mountains.—Kennedy’s Weapons.—One of Joe’s Manoeuvres.—A Halt Over a Forest
• 42. A Struggle of Generosity.—The Last Sacrifice.—The Dilating Apparatus.—Joe’s Adroitness.—Midnight.—The Doctor’s Watch.—Kennedy’s Watch.—The Latter Falls Asleep at His Post.—The Fire.—The Howlings of the Natives.—Out of Range
• 43. The Talabas.—The Pursuit.—A Devastated Country.—The Wind Begins to Fall.—The Victoria Sinks.—The Last of the Provisions.—The Leaps of the Balloon.—A Defence With Fire-Arms.—The Wind Freshens.—The Senegal River.—The Cataracts of Gouina.—The Hot Air.—The Passage of the River
• 44. Conclusion.—The Certificate.—The French Settlements.—The Post of Medina.—The Basilic.—Saint Louis.—The English Frigate.—The Return to London.
• A Note About the Author
• A Note from the Publisher