Baltimore Gun Club

From the Earth to the Moon and its sequel, Around the Moon, present Jules Vernes 19th-century vision of space travel. Because rockets at the time were seriously limited in range and payload, he launches his three travelers from a gigantic cannon instead. In a voyage with striking parallels to the Apollo space program, they leave in a conical projectile from South Florida, experience weightlessness, orbit the Moon, conduct experiments, and end up splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. There are certainly fanciful aspects to the novel, but Verne worked out the math and science in meticulous detail, and his work inspired many people involved in the American and European space programs in the 20th century. And he managed to do all this while combining the story with an often hilarious satire on the American obsession with guns, firepower, and commercialization.

This audio version is the first one in English to make use of a complete and accurate new translation. Many of the mistakes Verne has been accused of making over the years were in fact made by his translators, and every effort has been made here to scrupulously follow his original text. Vernes' passion, his astonishing research, and his surprising humor are all on display. The translation is by Verne expert and space illustrator Ron Miller; the narration is by Tad Davis, who has previously narrated the Verne novels Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Mysterious Island. The audiobook includes two essays by Ron Miller. One analyzes the science Verne used in the novel; the other describes Millers' series of books The Conquest of Space new editions, both reprints and new translations, of many long out-of-print books and stories on the subject of space exploration. This translation originally appeared as part of that series.