Ticket No. 9672

Set among the fjords and farms of Norway, this quieter Verne novel turns on a single lottery ticket. Young Hulda Hansen waits for her sailor fiance, Ole Kamp, whose ship goes down at sea. Before he drowns, Ole seals a farewell note and ticket number 9672 in a bottle and sends it toward home as his last gift to her. When word of the story spreads, speculators across the country scramble to buy the ticket, but Hulda keeps it as a keepsake of the man she loved. Verne folds in a warm portrait of Norwegian scenery and custom, from the Telemark valleys to Bergen. First published in 1886, it is gentler than his famous voyages. This free PDF and EPUB edition contains the complete English translation.