The adventure begins when a strange Icelandic parchment is uncovered in an
old book shop and reaches a fevered pitch that never lets up as Professor Lidenbrock, his
nephew Axel, and their guide Hans journey to the center of the earth. From the moment they
reach the extinct volcano of the mountain of Sneffels and make their treacherous descent, their
chances of reaching the surface alive again become very slim. Along the way they encounter
boiling seas, serpent-like monsters, prehistoric apes, and an eerie otherworld from which no man
has ever escaped. This book embodies the combination of believable science and wonderment
that made Jules Verne the father of modern science fiction.

Jules Verne (1828-1905) used a combination of scientific facts and hisimagination to take readers on extraordinary imaginative journeys to fantastic places. In such books as Around the World in Eighty Days, From the Earth to the Moon, and Journey to the Center of the Earth, he predicted many technological advances of the twentieth century, including the invention of the automobile, telephone, and nuclear submarines, as well as atomic power and travel to the moon by rocket.

Frederick Davidson is a recipient of the Golden Voices Award and numerous Earphones Awards. After performing for years in many BBC radio plays, he came to America in 1976. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks.