# Jules Verne translations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716 "2008-11-27T17:19:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716/1 "2008-11-27T17:19:12Z")
Of the myriad **Jules Verne** editions out there, can anybody tell me whether there’s a decent English translation available of _From the Earth to the Moon_ & _Round the Moon_. I know the early translations hacked his prose about a lot so I’m hoping there’s a good modern version, preferably a reasonably-priced omnibus of both titles! ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716/2 "2008-11-27T18:27:34Z")
The naval institute press did a fully restored 20,000 maybe they did one for “Moon” as well. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716/3 "2008-11-28T14:39:42Z")
Thanks for the tip, **Icerigger** ; I’ve been poking about their site but unfortunately, they don’t seem to do any other Verne titles… I wish it was more common on sites like Amazon for books translated into English to include info about the translation … ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716/4 "2008-11-28T18:51:28Z")
Sorry. I have the NIP edition of 20,000 with the complete text along with hundreds of errors that were corrected and annotated as well, I highly recommend that if you have not read it. I was hoping it was part of a NIP project to correct mis-translations of Verne’s other major works. I guess not. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716/5 "2008-11-28T19:16:58Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > Sorry. I have the NIP edition of 20,000 with the complete text along with hundreds of errors that were corrected and annotated as well, I highly recommend that if you have not read it. I was hoping it was part of a NIP project to correct mis-translations of Verne’s other major works. I guess not. Last I heard, _that_ was the **only** work of Verne’s which had been given a decent translation into English. Its a shame since he’s had such an impact on the world, you’d think that someone would undertake the task of giving him a proper voice in English. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716/6 "2008-11-28T21:42:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Of the myriad Jules Verne editions out there, can anybody tell me whether there’s a decent English translation available of From the Earth to the Moon & Round the Moon. > > I know the early translations hacked his prose about a lot so I’m hoping there’s a good modern version, preferably a reasonably-priced omnibus of both titles! Walter James Miller, who’s 1/2 of the team that did the Naval Press translation of 20,000 Leagues, edited **The Annotated From the Earth to the Moon**. Even though this uses the botched Mercier Lewis translation as its basis, the book restores the missing passages and points out the errors in the rest. (Miller also did **The Annotated 20,000 Leagues** , which also uses the Mercier Lewis/Louis Mercier translation, and has a LOT more footnotes than the Naval Press edition.) The 1960s translation of **From the Earth to the Moon** \ by Lowell Bair, published by Pocket Books, is pretty good, and is a vast improvement over Mercier Lewis’. (They started doing some good translations in the 1960s, although the ARCO/Fitzroy editions aren’t among them). My translation of **Round the Moon** is the 1969 Airmont edition, which doesn’t credit its translator (Not a good sign) The recent Wesleyan University translations (such as last year’s first-ever translation of **The Kip Brothers** ) have included recommended translations of Verne in the back. They recommend the 1867 uncredited translation, the 1970 Harold Salemson translation, and the Miller annotated edition I mention above. They don’t recommend the Bair translation, although , interestingly, Miller _does_. As for **Around the Moon** , they recommend Samelson again, and the 1970 translation by Jacqueline and Robert Baldick. If you’re reading these, don’t forget Verne’s _second_ sequel to “From the Earth to the Moon”, \*\* Sans dessus dessoous\*\*, variously translated as **Topsy-Turvy** and **The Purchase of the North Pole**. I have the translation published by Ace paperbacks, which is probably the Arco/Fitzroy edition they don’t recommend. They recommend the 1890 uncredited one published by Sampson Low ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716/7 "2008-11-28T21:47:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Last I heard, that was the only work of Verne’s which had been given a decent translation into English. Its a shame since he’s had such an impact on the world, you’d think that someone would undertake the task of giving him a proper voice in English. That’s not true, I think. There have been new Verne tanslations since the 1960s, and, especially in the past 15 years, there have been quite a few new and complete translations. See the Wesleyan ones I note above (edited by Arthur B. Evans), as well as other recent translations such as **The Golden Volcano** and **The Search for the Meteor**. Around 1999, there were _two_ new translations of **The Mysterious Island.** And several of the old translations are pretty good – Lewis Mercier/Mercier Louis didn’t translae _all_ of them. And, as I said, the circa 1960 ARCO/Fitzroy editions are deficient (Their edition of **The Steam House/The Demon of Cawnpore** leaves out an entire chapter!) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716/8 "2008-11-29T01:00:51Z")
I’ve dug out my old copy of “The Purchase of the North Pole”. It doesn’t list the translator, but it looks like it’s whoever did it in 1890. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716/9 "2008-12-01T15:19:28Z")
Thanks a lot for the info, **Cal** ; now to now all I have to do is juggle quality and availability with price! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jules-verne-translations/474716/10 "2008-12-01T16:26:47Z")
Your Welcome! I notice that your OP asks about a combined edition. Dover used to publish an omnibus edition, but I’ll bet it was the Louis Mercier/Mercier Lewis translation. Looking on Amazon, I find thi edition, but it doesn’t even give the translator!: > **[Jules Verne's Moon Book: From Earth to the Moon / Round the Moon: Verne, Jules:...](https://www.amazon.com/Jules-Vernes-Moon-Book-Earth/dp/1604502509)** > > Jules Verne's Moon Book: From Earth to the Moon / Round the Moon \[Verne, Jules\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Jules Verne's Moon Book: From Earth to the Moon / Round the Moon Bantam apparently published an omnibus in 1967, and somebody else in hardcover in 1970. I wouldn’t trust any of those to be good translations. As a rule of thumb, the good translations tend to acknowledge the translator. But it’s not invariably the case. It’s too bad that Miller didn’t annotate both volumes together – they really do make a set. But if you want the real thing, go with the ones I give in my earlier post.