Five Weeks in a Balloon (Annotated with Biography of Verne and Plot Analysis‪)‬

Five Weeks in a Balloon was Jules Verne’s first published novel – he had adapted it from a work of non-fiction at the suggestion of his editor, Jules Hetzel.  The novel was published in 1863, before successful balloon-air flight was accomplished.


The story is pure adventure and typically Verne.  It is not without its drawbacks – it is unpolished compared to some of Verne’s later works and the racism is difficult for today’s readers to accept.  As a first adventure story, it was a testament as to what was to come from Verne – proving his publisher Hetzel had backed a winner.