From the Earth to the Moon and Round the Moon by Jules Verne [PDF]

Information: From the Earth to the Moon and Round the Moon

• Author: Jules Verne
• Publication Date: 1865
• Main Characters:
  • Impey Barbicane: President of the Baltimore Gun Club and the driving force behind the lunar mission, a methodical engineer who treats the project as a problem to be solved
  • Michel Ardan: A flamboyant French adventurer who volunteers to ride inside the projectile, bringing humor and daring to a group of cautious scientists
  • Captain Nicholl: Barbicane's longtime rival and armor-plate specialist who initially opposes the project but ends up aboard the spacecraft
  • J.T. Maston: The enthusiastic secretary of the Gun Club, a war veteran missing a hand and part of his skull, fiercely loyal to Barbicane's vision
• Brief Summary: After the American Civil War ends, the members of the Baltimore Gun Club find themselves with nothing to do. Their president, Impey Barbicane, proposes building a massive cannon to fire a projectile at the Moon. A French adventurer named Michel Ardan convinces them to make the projectile hollow so three passengers can ride inside. Barbicane, Ardan, and Captain Nicholl launch from Florida, orbit the Moon at close range, and must find a way to return safely to Earth by splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
• Thematic Analysis: The novel explores humanity's drive to conquer the unknown through technology and sheer willpower. Verne examines the tension between scientific ambition and practical risk, alongside themes of international cooperation and rivalry. There is also a sharp undercurrent of satire about American gun culture and post-war restlessness.
• Historical Context: Jules Verne published "From the Earth to the Moon" in 1865 and its sequel "Round the Moon" in 1870, during a period of rapid industrialization and scientific optimism in Europe and America. The American Civil War had just ended, and Verne used that backdrop to satirize a nation of weapons enthusiasts searching for a new purpose. His detailed calculations drew on real astronomy and ballistics research of the era.