Around the World in Eighty Days

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne follows Phileas Fogg, a punctual English gentleman, who wagers L20,000 at his London Reform Club that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days using trains, steamships, and other emerging transport of 1872. Joined by his loyal French valet Passepartout, Fogg embarks from London on October 2, facing adventures across Europe, Egypt, India—where they rescue Aouda from a suttee ritual—Asia, and America, overcoming obstacles like Sioux attacks, buffalo herds, and a detective suspecting Fogg of bank robbery. Despite delays and a dramatic arrest upon return, Fogg wins the bet by mere minutes, thanks to a calendar quirk from crossing the International Date Line, blending thrilling travelogue with themes of precision, ingenuity, and Victorian optimism.