THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF NAUTILUS, by Demetri Capetanopoulos
While Jules Verne is often called 'The Father of Science Fiction', he considered himself a storyteller, not a futurist. During his long career in poetry, theater, and literature, Verne used technology as a (literal) vehicle for his best-known adventure stories. An amateur science enthusiast and lawyer by training, he took detailed notes of remarkable discoveries and inventions of his time, then incorporated them in his writing to fuel the imaginations of young and old alike. In the case of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, abridged English versions and movie adaptations have long blurred the lines between technical rigor and science fiction; faithful and complete English translations have only appeared in recent decades.
In THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF NAUTILUS, Demetri Capetanopoulos combines modern research methods and his detailed knowledge of submarines to illustrate how Captain Nemo might have built and operated his creation, as originally described by Jules Verne. In exploring Verne's commitment to technical detail, the author reviews every system from bow to stern. He explains a few of Verne's obvious mistakes, some of his missed opportunities to include contemporary developments in submarine technology, and Verne's necessarily fantastic claims of Nautilus's power, depth, and endurance. The author shows that Jules Verne really did his homework, considering his 19th century resources and non-technical background.
THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF NAUTILUS includes detailed diagrams, original illustrations, rich historical discussion, and extensive notes and references. It will appeal especially to history buffs, Jules Verne fans, and submarine enthusiasts.