Around the World in Eighty Days

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (1873)

Phileas Fogg wagers £20,000 that he can circumnavigate the globe in just 80 days. With his loyal valet Passepartout, he races across continents by steamer, train, and elephant — with a detective in pursuit who suspects him of bank robbery.

Historical Significance:
Serialized in Le Temps in 1872, the novel was inspired by real advances in transportation: the completion of the Suez Canal (1869) and the First Transcontinental Railroad (1869) had dramatically shortened global travel times. Journalist Nellie Bly famously recreated Fogg's journey in 1889, completing it in 72 days. The novel was Verne's biggest commercial success, adapted into the 1956 Best Picture-winning film starring David Niven. It established the "race against time" narrative template used by countless adventure stories since.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1873. Free to read and share.