Science and adventure are electrifying accomplices in Jules Verne's classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea . This epic and enduring tale anticipates not just wonders such as electric light and submarine navigation, but the obsession with technology and travel that today so shapes our lives. It is Verne's inspired foresight, combined with his extraordinary talent for storytelling, that continue to make this novel such a compelling read. The excitement this adventure caused around the world when it was first published 150 years ago can still be very easily imagined indeed in the 21st century.