Jules Verne

It was on this date in 1828 that Jules Verne was born in Nantes, France. I remember enjoying his books as a young boy. I especially liked Around the World in Eighty Days, excited by the adventures of Phileas Fogg and his faithful French servant Passepartout. Following their journey around the world was a treat for a boy who was fascinated by geography (I still am). But my favorite Verne novel was Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea with the amazing and wonderful Captain Nemo. It was the my first taste of the larger than life hero, a character type I would find that I admired in fiction over the years. Verne had the ability to write stories that appealed to both the young and the old; that is why I still consider him one of my favorite authors.