The Tour Of the World In 80 Days

In The Tour of the World in 80 Days (also known as: Around the World in Eighty Days, Around the World in 80 Days, The Tour of the World in Eighty Days, Round the World in Eighty Days, Round the World in 80 Days, and Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jours), written by Jules Verne, a rich, but otherwise inconspicuous member of British society, The main character Phileas Fogg departs London with his new valet, Jean Passepartout, on an attempt to traverse the world in 80 days. While journeying, he is mistaken for a criminal by Detective Fix, who follows them in an attempt to capture the alleged bank robber.The novel was written at a time when trans-global travel was just becoming a reality thanks to technological innovations such as the First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States and the opening of the Suez Canal, both in 1869, and the linking of the Indian Railways in 1870. The closing date of the novel, December 21, 1872, was the same date it began to be serialized, making some readers believe the story was actually happening. 

The novel was first published in French as Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours on January 30, 1873 by Pierre-Jules Hetzel. It was translated into English by George. M. Towle and published in the UK by Sampson Low, Marston, Low & Searle in London. The first US edition, also published in 1873 by James R. Osgood and Company. There was also a fully illustrated US edition released the same year by James R. Osgood and Company, with fifty-four plates and an engraved illustration in the text by A. de Neuville and L. Benett and a small drawing by Verne.