An aeronaut about to ascend alone is joined at the last moment by a mysterious stranger who climbs into the basket, cuts loose and carries him high above the earth. As they rise, the stranger recites the triumphs and disasters of ballooning from the Montgolfiers onward, and it becomes clear that he is dangerously mad.
One of Verne’s earliest stories, translated into English in 1852, a first taste of the adventures to come. Download the free EPUB.