Five Weeks in a Balloon

Verne’s first great success sends an intrepid explorer, his devoted servant, and a skeptical companion soaring over uncharted Africa in a hydrogen balloon, crossing deserts, jungles, and native kingdoms in a breathless aerial adventure of discovery and danger. Blending geography, science, and thrilling incident, it launched the run of scientific romances that made Verne world-famous. As the balloon drifts over a continent still mysterious to Europe, the travelers face storms, hostile tribes, thirst, and wonder at every turn. Fast-paced and richly imagined, Five Weeks in a Balloon is a founding classic of adventure fiction and a delightful introduction to Verne’s boundless spirit of exploration and invention.