Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

'I am going to sink it.'
'You are not!'
'I am,' he coldly replied. 'Do not take it on yourself to judge me, monsieur.'

French naturalist Dr Aronnax embarks on an expedition to hunt down a sea monster, but discovers instead the Nautilus, a self-contained world built by its enigmatic captain. Together, Nemo and Aronnax explore the underwater realms of the globe, undergo a transcendental experience among the ruins of Atlantis, and plant a black flag at the South Pole. Nemo's mission is finally revealed to be a violent one, and his methods are coldly efficient.

Verne's classic novel has left a profound mark on subsequent centuries. Its themes are universal, its style alternately humorous and grandiose, its construction masterly.