From the Earth to the Moon - Jules Verne

From the Earth to the Moon, by Jules Verne, is a very nice read and I really enjoyed it. Written in the 18th century, this book has the characteristic Jules Verne style, written in a scientific way that really is enjoyable for the reader.


The book was written before man had set foot on the moon, and is about a prestigious club in Boston called the Gun Club. During the War of 1812, these men were involved in casting artillery and guns for the war effort. After the war ended, however, they were discontent, and talked even of discontinuing the entire club. But the president came up with an idea which saved the club and revolved around one simple idea: send a projectile to the moon.

The rest of the book chronicles the making and sending of this projectile to the moon, but with an unexpected twist: men in the projectile. They thus modify the projectile for holding men. Jules Verne shows in his book all the statistics and plans for sending a man to the moon, but current knowledge shows the trip to be impossible. For example, these men while in the projectile open a window to throw out a dead dog, and also send a thermometer into the 'space-filled ether' to measure the temperature of space.

The book is an enjoyable read, especially to see what sort of twists nineteenth century writers came up with to do certain processes. This book is in the vein of some other of Verne's book, such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. His scientific explanations are entertaining and sometimes even plausible, but flaws in it show us how much science has advanced in the last century.

But the book definitely is entertaining, even if it just shows how much science has advanced lately. I recommend the book but it is a difficult read, there are a few words that I had to look up.

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