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Robur the Conqueror
Edited by Arthur B. Evans
Translated by Alex Kirstukas
Series: Early Classics of Science Fiction
Sales Date: 2017-07-11
First complete English translation of Jules Verne's classic novel of flight
At the Weldon Institute in Philadelphia, a mob of zealous balloon enthusiasts plans to conquer the sky in a state-of-the-art dirigible. When a stranger, the mysterious Robur, declares that the future belongs not to balloons but to heavier-than-air flying machines, the Institute scornfully dismisses the idea. But Robur demands vengeance—and has a unique flying machine that will allow him to take it.
By turns an impassioned argument for aviation, a wild proto-steampunk adventure, and a jubilant celebration of the dream of flight, Robur the Conqueror ranks among Jules Verne's most iconic and influential works. Its technological speculations, including the unforgettable aircraft Albatross, are a vibrant snapshot of nineteenth-century scientific innovation.
This, the first complete English translation of Verne's 1886 novel, includes an insightful introduction, explanatory chapter notes, never-before-published glimpses of Verne's original manuscript, all the first-edition illustrations by Léon Benett, and an up-to-date Verne biography and primary and secondary bibliography. It is an essential new edition of a seminal science fiction classic.
Introduction
Robur the Conqueror
Appendix I: The Original Ending
Appendix II: Who's Who in the Air
Notes
Bibliography
Jules Gabriel Verne: A Biography
About the Contributors
JULES VERNE (1828–1905) was the first author to popularize the literary genre that has become known as science fiction. ALEX KIRSTUKAS has published and presented on Verne's work for both academic and popular audiences, and is a trustee of the North American Jules Verne Society as well as the editor of its peer-reviewed publication Extraordinary Voyages. ARTHUR B. EVANS is an emeritus professor of French at DePauw University and winner of the 2014 Cyrano prize for his scholarly contributions to the field of French science fiction. He has published numerous books and articles on Jules Verne and other early writers of French science fiction, serves as the managing editor of Science Fiction Studies, and is the general editor of Wesleyan's Early Classics of Science Fiction series.
"[T]hrillingly captures the passion and excitement of early aviation and, more poetically, the enchantment of flight."
~Michael Dirda, Barnes & Noble
""[T]hrillingly captures the passion and excitement of early aviation and, more poetically, the enchantment of flight.""
~Michael Dirda, Barnes & Noble
"One of Verne's most compelling and enjoyable novels within his Extraordinary Voyages series, this is a very important work and an integral piece of the Jules Verne corpus."
~Peter Schulman, translator of Jules Verne's The Secret of Wilhelm Storitz
"One of Verne's most compelling and enjoyable novels within his Extraordinary Voyages series, this is a very important work and an integral piece of the Jules Verne corpus."
~Peter Schulman, translator of Jules Verne's The Secret of Wilhelm Storitz
"Jules Verne, with his legendary prescience and uncanny ability to make scientific prophecies, explores in this book the dream of flight in heavier-than-air machines. Along the way, he provides us with a fascinating look into challenging scientific disputes, as well as into the startlingly prejudicial and imperialistic views of the nineteenth century. A gripping read.""
~Mario Livio, astrophysicist and author of Brilliant Blunders
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