1865
From the Earth to the Moon
Jules Verne · 1828–1905 · France
Originally De la Terre à la Lune (French)
Why it matters
A postwar American gun club, bored with nothing left to shoot, decides to fire a crewed projectile at the moon from Florida: Verne's meticulous ballistics predicted the Apollo launch site so closely it reads like a blueprint.
At a glance
speculative fiction
Difficulty 3/10medium pace220 pagesDense technical and scientific exposition slows an otherwise short book.
Where to go next
Jules Verne · 1864Journey to the Center of the EarthLvl 3Fast paced
Jules Verne · 1868In Search of the CastawaysLvl 3Fast paced
Jules Verne · 1870Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeaLvl 3Medium pace
Jules Verne · 1873Around the World in Eighty DaysLvl 2Fast paced
Jules Verne · 1874The Mysterious IslandLvl 4Fast paced
Raymond Queneau · 1959Zazie in the MetroLvl 5Fast paced