Fifty years ago this summer, as I approached the ripe old age of 13, I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne. Hoping to relive that adventure, which was instrumental in spawning my naturalist philosophy (see Four Books), I retrieved that book from the library. As I read Verne's saga for a second time, the memory of its initial impact comes flooding back, confirming its effect so many years ago.
A novel of adventure and exploration with a story line that stretches across the globe, this book reveals both Verne's knowledge of the sea and his prescience with respect to the future of technology. Though it was written in 1870, the story remains applicable in our modern world, placing emphasis on man's conflicted relationship with his natural environment. In fact, 143 years after its initial publication, the deep sea, Earth's largest wilderness, remains relatively unexplored and many of its mysteries are yet unsolved.
Reading this book will take me back to the summer of 1963. Having just lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis, my innocence would soon be further shattered by Kennedy's assassination and the turmoil of Vietnam. Somehow, through the varied trials, joys and challenges of my life, Verne's epic has retained its influence. We can only hope to offer such inspiration to others.
