The unabridged addition of “Around the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne and read by Jim Dale is a wonderful experience. It is 7 compact discs and almost 8 hours — so a pretty doable book on a trip. According to Amazon.com it is meant for readers age 9 – 12. However, I would say as long as kids can sit still it is for all ages. It is such a pleasant story of adventure and the excitement of experiencing new things.
This is a wonderful story — the mysterious Phileas Fogg, so methodical and exact, shocking his Club when he says he will break his predictable routine and do something quite unusual and daring. His brand new servant Passepartout, who is a Frenchman seeking a quiet job as manservant, is a brilliant foil to Fogg’s seriousness. The intrepid Detective Fix who travels around the world with Mr. Fogg paying the way only to arrest him when he gets on English soil.
This classic tale is one that has been made recently into movies of varying success yet it truly is a tale meant to be read and not seen. Jim Dale is a highly recognized reader and has won many awards for his work.
This tale is a wondrous example of what could happen when imagination and technology merge. This book was originally written in 1873 when trains and steamers were new. People were just getting the idea of being somewhere exactly at a set time. If someone were to write a book of similar story now — it would be “1.2 million hits in 6 seconds” or maybe “Around the World in 8.9 seconds”.
The transitions from one chapter to the next are little clips of world music, which is nice but can be distracting at times. I would almost want more music to get in the idea of an intermission. At the end there is a bit by the editor about using this in the classroom and discussing the cultural differences from today. This might be helpful if it actually is used in the classroom. I have a feeling that most people, like myself and my children, will just stop the boring talk and return the CD to the box. Having read other books from the time period and been a student of history I really don’t feel the need to examine this edition in too much detail. But then again, no one is going to be quizzing me on this either!
From Amazon.com:
Editorial Reviews
Commemorating Listening Library’s 50th Anniversary, the publisher reprises the first book recorded as an audiobook in 1955. This new edition, read by Jim Dale, offers a good, if not brilliant, rendition of Verne’s 1873 classic. Dale paces himself to Verne’s narrative, which seems a bit slow and plodding. As the urgency of the circumnavigation increases, Dale’s characters seem to gather more vitality. When Phileas Fogg, the focused English gentleman, and his resilient servant, Passepartout, encounter the boisterous Americans, Dale’s interplay with the characters shines. Listeners will certainly enjoy some of Verne’s satire, the geography, and the “modern” advances of travel in their nineteenth-century context. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine– Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Product Description
Shocking his stodgy colleagues at the exclusive Reform Club, enigmatic Englishman Phileas Fogg wagers his fortune, undertaking an extraordinary and daring enterprise to circumnavigate the globe in eighty days. With his French valet Passepartout in tow, Verne’s hero traverses the far reaches of the earth, all the while tracked by the intrepid Detective Fix, a bounty hunter certain he is on the trail of a notorious bank robber.
Combining exploration, adventure, and a thrilling race against time, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS gripped audiences upon its original publication and remains hugely popular to this day.
From the Cassette edition.
A kind request. Where can I get the text of the story. the one that is read so nicely by Jim Dale. I brought the book from the library, but somehow what Jim has read in the CD’s is not one to one from the book. I wanted it so that my daughter can learn good English.
I understand that it is very diffifcult to get the exact edition and I appreciate your question. According to the back cover of the Audio Book, it is from Random House’s Modern Library. You may have to look at the State Wide Catalog and see if any copies mention Random House in the Catalog Description. Good Luck in your search.