The Mysterious Island

Jules Verne (1828 - 1905)
Translated by William Henry Giles Kingston (1814 - 1880)

A story of castaways, similar to Robinson Crusoe and The Swiss Family Robinson, this book details the escape from Civil War-era Richmond, Virginia, of five Northern men who dared to go aloft in a balloon in the midst of a hurricane. Deposited on a lonely island in the Pacific, they make do with Yankee ingenuity where Chance has left them nothing. Only later do they find they have a hidden benefactor: Captain Nemo, of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, who resides, alone, secretly on the island. In time, the tiny colony becomes so prosperous that it is able to rescue another castaway from an island a hundred miles away. But all their work will come to naught - their island's volcano is about to awake! (Summary by Mark)

Genre(s): Science Fiction

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 1-01 The Storm of 1865. Voices in the Air. Mark F. Smith
00:15:45
Play 02 1-02 An Incident in the War of Secession Mark F. Smith
00:21:58
Play 03 1-03 Five O'Clock in the Evening Mark F. Smith
00:17:37
Play 04 1-04 Lithodomes. The River's Mouth. The Chimneys. Mark F. Smith
00:20:21
Play 05 1-05 Arranging the Chimneys. How to Procure Fire. Mark F. Smith
00:18:06
Play 06 1-06 The Inventory of the Castaways. Expedition to the Forest. Mark F. Smith
00:19:01
Play 07 1-07 Neb Has Not Yet Returned. A Threatening Night. Mark F. Smith
00:19:39
Play 08 1-08 Is Cyrus Harding Living? Neb's Recital. Mark F. Smith
00:19:24
Play 09 1-09 Cyrus is Here. Pencroft's Attempts. Mark F. Smith
00:21:47
Play 10 1-10 The Engineer's Invention. Volcanic Soil. Mark F. Smith
00:21:16
Play 11 1-11 At the Summit of the Cone Mark F. Smith
00:24:01
Play 12 1-12 Regulating the Watches. Pencroft is Satisfied. Mark F. Smith
00:21:27
Play 13 1-13 What is Found Upon Top Mark F. Smith
00:24:21
Play 14 1-14 Measuring the Cliff. Latitude of the Island. Mark F. Smith
00:20:42
Play 15 1-15 It Is Decided to Winter on the Island Mark F. Smith
00:18:46
Play 16 1-16 The Question of a Dwelling is Again Discussed. Mark F. Smith
00:18:58
Play 17 1-17 Visit to the Lake. The Indicating Current. Mark F. Smith
00:21:55
Play 18 1-18 Pencroft Now Doubts Nothing Mark F. Smith
00:18:54
Play 19 1-19 Cyrus Harding's Project. The Rope Ladder. Mark F. Smith
00:19:58
Play 20 1-20 The Rainy Season. The Question of Clothes. Mark F. Smith
00:17:43
Play 21 1-21 Some Degrees Below Zero. Mark F. Smith
00:20:43
Play 22 1-22 Traps. Foxes. Peccaries. Mark F. Smith
00:26:54
Play 23 2-01 Conversation on the Subject of the Bullet Mark F. Smith
00:20:05
Play 24 2-02 First Trial of the Canoe. A Wreck on the Coast. Mark F. Smith
00:20:17
Play 25 2-03 The Start. The Rising Tide. Mark F. Smith
00:21:55
Play 26 2-04 Journey to the Coast. Troops of Monkeys. Mark F. Smith
00:18:23
Play 27 2-05 Proposal to Return By the Southern Shore Mark F. Smith
00:21:52
Play 28 2-06 Pencroft's Halloos. A Night in the Chimneys. Mark F. Smith
00:20:12
Play 29 2-07 Plans. A Bridge Over the Mercy. Mark F. Smith
00:20:59
Play 30 2-08 Linen. Shoes of Seal-Leather. Mark F. Smith
00:20:56
Play 31 2-09 Bad Weather. The Hydraulic Lift. Mark F. Smith
00:19:18
Play 32 2-10 Boat-Building. Second Crop of Corn. Mark F. Smith
00:19:20
Play 33 2-11 Winter. Felling Wood. The Mill. Mark F. Smith
00:24:13
Play 34 2-12 The Rigging of the Vessel Mark F. Smith
00:27:40
Play 35 2-13 Departure Decided Upon. Conjectures. Mark F. Smith
00:20:34
Play 36 2-14 The Inventory. Night. A Few Letters. Mark F. Smith
00:23:06
Play 37 2-15 The Return. Discussion. Mark F. Smith
00:18:40
Play 38 2-16 A Mystery to be Cleared Up. Mark F. Smith
00:25:33
Play 39 2-17 Still Alone. The Stranger's Request. Mark F. Smith
00:25:15
Play 40 2-18 Conversation. Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett. Mark F. Smith
00:22:50
Play 41 2-19 Recollections of Their Native Land Mark F. Smith
00:20:30
Play 42 2-20 A Night at Sea. Shark Gulf. Confidences. Mark F. Smith
00:23:40
Play 43 3-01 Lost or Saved? Ayrton Summoned. Mark F. Smith
00:24:25
Play 44 3-02 Discussions. Presentiments. Mark F. Smith
00:22:04
Play 45 3-03 The Mist Rises. The Engineer's Preparations. Mark F. Smith
00:26:01
Play 46 3-04 The Colonists on the Beach. Mark F. Smith
00:24:17
Play 47 3-05 The Engineer's Declaration. Mark F. Smith
00:19:50
Play 48 3-06 Expeditions Planned. Ayrton at the Corral. Mark F. Smith
00:21:13
Play 49 3-07 The Reporter and Pencroft in the Corral Mark F. Smith
00:18:15
Play 50 3-08 The Convicts in the Neighborhood of the Corral Mark F. Smith
00:10:13
Play 51 3-09 No news of Neb. A Proposal. Mark F. Smith
00:20:20
Play 52 3-10 Herbert Carried to Granite House Mark F. Smith
00:17:23
Play 53 3-11 Inexplicable Mystery. Herbert's Convalescence. Mark F. Smith
00:20:56
Play 54 3-12 Exploration on the Serpentine Peninsula. Mark F. Smith
00:20:45
Play 55 3-13 Ayrton's Story. A Subterranean Volcano. Mark F. Smith
00:24:37
Play 56 3-14 Three Years Have Passed. The New Vessel. Mark F. Smith
00:22:25
Play 57 3-15 The Awakening of the Volcano. The Fine Season. Mark F. Smith
00:27:17
Play 58 3-16 Captain Nemo. His First Words. Mark F. Smith
00:22:28
Play 59 3-17 Last Moments of Captain Nemo Mark F. Smith
00:19:34
Play 60 3-18 Reflections of the Colonists Mark F. Smith
00:31:01
Play 61 3-19 Cyrus Harding's Account of His Exploration Mark F. Smith
00:27:50
Play 62 3-20 An Isolated Rock in the Pacific Mark F. Smith
00:12:35