Around the World in Eighty Days in English

Jules Verne

originalC2year1872genreAdventurevibeSuspensefulCourageLoyaltyaudioUSUK

A London gentleman bets he can circle the globe in eighty days, and has to prove it with trains, ships and a detective on his heels.

The book follows one route, stop by stop: London, Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York and home. Each stop brings a new obstacle, and the clock is always in the background. The narrator watches from outside, keeps Fogg's thoughts mostly hidden, and likes lists of places, distances and times. The English is a translation from 1873, so it reads like nineteenth-century prose, but it stays clear and practical. Short chapters and a simple goal make it easy to pick up again after a break.

What kind of book“Around the World in Eighty Days” is

Versions of “Around the World in Eighty Days” in English: C1

Same book, adapted to a level you can read without stopping

levelA1–A2B1–B2C1–C2pagesaudiobook

Vocabulary by level

A1 60%
A2 17%
B1 10%
B2 6%
not in dictionary 4%

A sample from “Around the World in Eighty Days” in English

One passage, the way each version writes it.

Tap any word — we will show the translation

Original · C2270 words

Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage, about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man of the world. People said that he resembled Byron —at least that his head was Byronic; but he was a bearded, tranquil Byron, who might live on a thousand years without growing old.

Certainly an Englishman, it was more doubtful whether Phileas Fogg was a Londoner. He was never seen on ’Change, nor at the Bank, nor in the counting-rooms of the “City”; no ships ever came into London docks of which he was the owner; he had no public employment; he had never been entered at any of the Inns of Court, either at the Temple, or Lincoln’s Inn, or Gray’s Inn; nor had his voice ever resounded in the Court of Chancery, or in the Exchequer, or the Queen’s Bench, or the Ecclesiastical Courts. He certainly was not a manufacturer; nor was he a merchant or a gentleman farmer. His name was strange to the scientific and learned societies, and he never was known to take part in the sage deliberations of the Royal Institution or the London Institution, the Artisan’s Association, or the Institution of Arts and Sciences. He belonged, in fact, to none of the numerous societies which swarm in the English capital, from the Harmonic to that of the Entomologists, founded mainly for the purpose of abolishing pernicious insects.

C1.1210 words

In 1872, Mr. Phileas Fogg lived at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the house where Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he always seemed to avoid attention. He was a mysterious person, and little was known about him except that he was a polished man of the world. People said he looked like Byron—at least his head was Byronic. But he was a calm, bearded Byron who could live a thousand years without growing old.

He was certainly an Englishman, but it was not clear if Phileas Fogg was a Londoner. He was never seen on the stock exchange, at the bank, or in the business offices of the City. No ships in London docks belonged to him. He had no public job. He had never studied law at any of the Inns of Court. His voice had never been heard in the courts. He was not a manufacturer, a merchant, or a farmer. His name was unknown to scientific and learned societies. He never took part in the discussions of the Royal Institution or other groups. In fact, he belonged to none of the many societies in London, from music clubs to those that study insects.

The same passage at different levelsContinue in the reader

The original language of “Around the World in Eighty Days” and what it gives you

How hard the language is C2

The original is rated B2 by estimate, not measurement, and the numbers support something moderate. About 60% of the words are A1 and a further 17% are A2, only 6% are beyond the 5,000 most frequent words, and 4% are not in the dictionary, mostly place names and foreign words. The average sentence is 17.6 words, which is manageable but not short. Expect a steady stream of travel vocabulary rather than hard grammar, and a translated, slightly formal tone. We ship an adaptation at B1 if the original is too much.

What this means in practice: A clear, purposeful read with plenty of useful travel vocabulary; just be patient with the place names.

What to be ready for

Place names. Cities, ports, rivers and railways appear constantly, and many are spelled in a nineteenth-century way.

Travel vocabulary. Steamers, tickets, timetables, bank-notes and wagers come up on nearly every page.

Translated prose. The 1873 translation by George Makepeace Towle sounds formal and slightly old-fashioned.

Time and dates. Hours, days and distances are given exactly, because the whole plot depends on the schedule.

How to read it and not quit

Don't stop at every place name: skim them, and keep a map open if you want to follow the route.
Notice how time is written: dates, hours and phrases such as ahead of time, behind schedule and in time carry the plot.
Learn the transport verbs in pairs, such as board and land, set out and arrive, as they repeat in every chapter.
When a sentence runs long, look for the main verb first, then add the extra detail between the commas.

Contents of “Around the World in Eighty Days” · 37 chapters

Chapter 1page 1
Chapter 2page 5
Chapter 3page 9
Chapter 4page 16
Chapter 5page 19
Chapter 6page 22

All 37 chapters

Chapter 7page 27
Chapter 8page 29
Chapter 9page 33
Chapter 10page 38
Chapter 11page 43
Chapter 12page 52
Chapter 13page 59
Chapter 14page 66
Chapter 15page 72
Chapter 16page 78
Chapter 17page 83
Chapter 18page 89
Chapter 19page 93
Chapter 20page 100
Chapter 21page 106
Chapter 22page 115
Chapter 23page 122
Chapter 24page 129
Chapter 25page 136
Chapter 26page 142
Chapter 27page 148
Chapter 28page 155
Chapter 29page 163
Chapter 30page 170
Chapter 31page 178
Chapter 32page 184
Chapter 33page 187
Chapter 34page 196
Chapter 35page 199
Chapter 36page 205
Chapter 37page 209

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The story of “Around the World in Eighty Days”

1872
Serialised in a newspaper
The story first appeared in instalments in the Paris newspaper Le Temps, starting in November 1872 and running into December.
1873
Book edition
The publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel issued the novel as a book, and it sold very well.
1873
English translation by Towle
George Makepeace Towle's English translation appeared the same year and became a standard English text.
1874
Stage play
Verne and Adolphe d'Ennery turned the novel into a spectacular stage play in Paris, which was a long-running success.
1889
Nellie Bly's race
The American journalist Nellie Bly set out to beat Fogg's time in real life, inspired by the book, and finished her trip in under 80 days.

In culture “Around the World in Eighty Days”

8 adaptations and mentions, 1873–2014

1873
In the language 'Around the world in 80 days'
Now used for any quick trip, and still the standard measure that world-record travellers try to beat.
1873
In the language The day gained by going east
The book's last twist, that travelling east around the world makes you gain a day, is one of the best-known uses of the calendar-and-time-zones puzzle in fiction.
1874
Stage Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (play)
A lavish stage version by Verne and d'Ennery, with real animals on stage, that kept the story popular for years.
1956
Film Around the World in 80 Days (Michael Todd)
A big-budget film with a long list of cameo stars that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
1989
Series Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days
A BBC travel series in which Palin tried to follow Fogg's route using only means of transport available in Verne's day.
2004
Film Around the World in 80 Days (Jackie Chan)
A comedy version that turns Passepartout into the lead and adds martial arts to the story.
2014
Game 80 Days (inkle)
A narrative game in which the player plans routes around the world as Passepartout.
Series Willy Fog (La vuelta al mundo de Willy Fog)
A Spanish animated series that retells the story with animal characters and was widely shown in Spain and Latin America.

Questions and answers about “Around the World in Eighty Days” in English

Is there a hot air balloon in Around the World in Eighty Days?

No, the balloon is not in the book. It comes from the 1956 film, which added it as a showpiece; in the novel Fogg uses ships, trains and other ground transport, and the balloon is the film's invention.

Is Around the World in Eighty Days based on a true story?

No, the story is fiction, but it rests on real events. The Suez Canal opened in 1869 and a railway crossed the United States that same year, and these made a trip like Fogg's seem possible to readers of the time.

What does Passepartout mean?

Passepartout is French for something like a master key, a word that opens every door. It fits the servant, who is quick, adaptable and gets into every kind of trouble along the way.

Why does Detective Fix follow Phileas Fogg?

Fix thinks Fogg is the man who robbed the Bank of England shortly before the trip began. He cannot arrest him without a warrant, so he follows him from port to port and tries to delay him until it arrives.

Did Jules Verne actually travel around the world?

No, Verne did not make this journey himself. He built the trip from timetables, maps, newspapers and travel books, and that is why the route feels so exact.

How different are the films from the book?

They differ a lot. The 1956 film keeps the bet and the route but adds the balloon and a parade of guest stars, and the 2004 film turns Passepartout into a martial-arts hero and invents a new plot.

Do I need to read other Jules Verne books first?

No, this book stands completely alone. It has no sequel and no characters from his other novels, so you can start here.

Is the book hard to read in English?

It is moderately hard. The words are mostly common, but the sentences are long enough, the style is formal, and the place names and old terms slow you down in the first chapters.

Does the book show old attitudes toward other countries?

Yes, in places. It was written in 1872 by a European, and some descriptions of India, China and the American West reflect the prejudices and the tourist's view of its time.

In brief about “Around the World in Eighty Days”

17 fields of imprint data and measured text characteristics. All of it checkable.

Original title: Around the World in Eighty Days
Author: Jules Verne
First published: 1872
Original language: English
Genre: Adventure · Classics
Mood: Suspenseful
Themes: Courage · Loyalty · Love
Setting: London, then a route through Europe, Asia and North America and back again · 1872
Distinct words: 6,390

Words per sentence: 18 words
Level of the original: C2
Versions: C2, C1.1
Length of the original: 37 ch. · 62,329 words
Reading time: ~5 h 50 min
Source text: Standard Ebooks
Rights: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain Dedication)
Download: EPUB