From the earth to the moon and Around the moon

Perhaps this was the thickest book I ever read. It combined two novels written by Jules Verne: 'From the earth to the moon' and 'Around the moon'.
What was striking about this set was the very idea on which the story is built up. It is astounding for a person to have imagined of the very idea of human travelling into space a century before it was actually made possible. Though some of the descriptions and facts were vague, the author managed to cover them up with his grip on classic language and talent to draw away the reader's focus from the weak spots. If I were to recommend you, I would say, go for the abridged version, it'll prove to be a little less boring and prolonged. Though I love the story, the second novel managed to bore me so well that I almost quit reading it for a while. Never mind, the first novel had some fine writing involved. Also, the pages accompany black and white illustrations which will let your imagination run wild. The characters were some of the characters whose characteristics have sunk deep in my mind. I just adore president Barbicane's personality, Michael Arden seems to be a little too whimsical, however, Nicholl manages to impress the readers quite well though initially he appears to be the villain. Could you imagine a manned projectile bombarded from a monstrous columbiad actually reach the moon? Well, will the residents of the projectile really survive? Will they be in a condition to share heir respective experiences in space? Find out more ( read the book). Well, a gentle warning for the book worms who'd like to taste the unabridged version--- the book I read was 424 paged!