Jules Verne is the author of many classic, world-famous novels such as Around the World in 80 Days and Journey to the Centre of the Earth. In this brand-new translation of The Blockade Runners, Verne moves seamlessly between Scotland and the southern states of the US during the American Civil War. With the southern harbours effectively sealed by the North, Scottish industrialist James Playfair must run a daring Federalist blockade of a Charleston harbour in an effort to trade supplies for cotton and to rescue a young girl's father, held prisoner by the Confederates. As the blockade grows tighter, will Playfair risk all to save the man, or will he head back to Scotland in safety with his hold full of precious cotton? The Blockade Runners is a translation of Les Forceurs de Blocus (1871). As a novella, it was originally included along with A Floating City in the first English and French editions.

About the Author

Jules Verne was born in 1828, in Nantes, France. In 1847 he studied Law in Paris, but this was not his main passion in life. He enjoyed writing more than anything, and his first play was published in 1850. He was Scottish on his mother's side and developed a profound interest in Scotland. Also a keen geographer, he spent many hours in Paris libraries studying engineering and astronomy researching his first novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon, which was published in 1863. A year later he published one of his most famous novels, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was published in 1873. He wrote prolifically through the rest of his life (54 novels) and died in 1905.

Reviews

The Blockade Runners is a superbly constructed novella. - IAN THOMPSON

The Blockade Runners belongs to the period when the inspiration of the author was growing in power. - CHRISTIAN ROBIN, Verne Scholar

Verne's is a tale of love and honour that also manages to concern itself with the abolition of slavery, though with the lightest of touches. It rockets along, aided by Karen Loukes's clean-limbed translation. - THE GUARDIAN

This lively work... cuts a steam-powered dash through the Atlantic waves. - THE GUARDIAN

Book Information
ISBN 9781905222209
Author Jules, 1828-1905 Verne
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Luath Press Ltd
Publisher Luath Press Ltd
Weight(grams) 140g
Dimensions(mm) 193mm * 127mm * 15mm