Jules Verne

Jules Verne was a science fiction author born on February 8, 1828.  Check out Google's interactive logo tribute!

Jules Verne is of the most amazing authors I've read.  Though famous for being "the father of science fiction" he is, relatively speaking, not very popular these days; and his real genius is often underrated, either by inaccurate movie adaptations or the simple fact that most of his books are ignored.  His most famous novels are 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Journey to the Center of the Earth--but these three titles are only a fraction of his "Extraordinary Voyages" collection, which is comprised of at least 50 other sci-fi/adventure novels.  A mind-boggling number, considering all the research he would have had to do! :)

Sadly to say, these other works are often hard to come by--even from libraries--and often times the accuracy of the translations are dubious.  Even if there are English translations they usually aren't budget-friendly (unlike e-book reader versions, and for that reason I might just have to get an e-book reader).  Anyhow, years ago I was really into reading Verne, and I was happily able to find and read some of these more obscure books, namely:

• The Mysterious Island (sequel to 20,000 Leagues)
• Five Weeks in a Balloon
• Two Years’ Holiday
• The Green Ray
• The Mighty Orinoco
• The Lighthouse At the End of the World
• The Clipper of the Clouds  
  
• Paris in the Twentieth Century

Half of these nobody's ever heard of, which is too bad, since all of them (except Mighty Orinoco) were worthwhile reads.  And there's still tons more, like The Golden Volcano and Facing the Flag, which I've only just recently heard of, but they sound excellent.

Anyhow, I highly recommend his books.  :)  And though I've yet to see any accurate movies, the old classics such as Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and the new Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008), are great movies that stay true to the spirit of his stories.