First puiblished in 1863, "Five Weeks in a Balloon" was the first novel in what would become the Jules Verne’s "Extraordinary Voyages" series. It follows the adventures of three explorers as they attempt to be the first men to traverse Africa from the east to the west utilising a hydrogen filled balloon to make the journey in a far shorter time than normal. This trip wouldn’t actually take place until well into the next century.

Fusing adventure, comedy, and science fiction, "Five Weeks in a Balloon" has all the key ingredients of classic Verne: sly humor and cheeky characters, an innovative scientific invention, a tangled plot that’s full of suspense and surprise, and visions of an unknown realm.