Abolitionist James Burbank’s farm is ransacked by an angry mob led by Texar, a former slaver, and a man who always has an airtight alibi whenever he is accused of crimes.
Jules Gabriel Verne was born in 1828, in Nates, France. Jules’ parents were of a seafaring tradition, one factor which influenced his writings. As a boy, Jules Verne ran off to be a cabin boy on a merchant ship, but he was caught and returned to his parents. In 1847 Jules was sent to study law in Paris. While there, however, his passion for theatre grew. Later in 1850, Jules Verne’s first play was published. His father was outraged when he heard that Jules was not going to continue law, so he discontinued the money he was giving him to pay for his expenses in Paris. This forced Verne to make money by selling his stories.
It was in 1858 that his first efforts appeared, in the form of travel stories in magazines. Then, in 1862, his first successful novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon, launched the series his publisher entitled "Les Voyages Extraordinaires." The second of this series was Journey to the Center of the Earth, which appeared in 1864, and which brought its author world fame and immediate popularity. Verne produced a new work of science-fiction or astonishing adventure every year thereafter, ever increasing his following until his works were known all over the world and selling in the millions. Among his best-known novels are From the Earth to the Moon, Around the World in Eighty Days, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and The Mysterious Island.
