Classic Starts®: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

About the Author

Jules Verne was born on February 8, 1828, in Nantes, France. As a youngster, he ran away from home to be a cabin boy on a merchant ship, but was caught and sent back to his parents. At the age of nineteen, Verne was sent to study law in Paris but instead developed a love of theater. His first play was published in 1850. When Verne’s father learned that his son was not planning to finish law school, he cut him off financially, leaving Verne with no choice but to sell his stories. Verne’s first novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon, was published in 1863. This was quickly followed by his most famous works, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in Eighty Days, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Graphic designer Scott McKowen has created award-winning posters and graphics for theater companies across the United States—including on Broadway—and in Canada. He curated a 2002 exhibition of theater posters from around the world which appeared in Stratford, Ontario; Ottawa; and at the Design Exchange in Toronto. McKowen’s work has been exhibited in art galleries on both sides of the border, including a show in 1996 at the art gallery of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.  He was also commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mint to design Canada’s 2001 silver dollar, which commemorated the National Ballet of Canada’s fiftieth anniversary.

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About the Illustrator

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