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EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGESTHE CURATE’S EGG: THETHE CURATE’S EGG: THETHE CURATE’S EGG: THETHE CURATE’S EGG: THETHE CURATE’S EGG: THETRANSLATIONS OFTRANSLATIONS OFTRANSLATIONS OFTRANSLATIONS OF(A)ROUND/A TOUR OF(A)ROUND/A TOUR OF(A)ROUND/A TOUR OF(A)ROUND/A TOUR OFTHE WORLD IN EIGHTYTHE WORLD IN EIGHTYTHE WORLD IN EIGHTYTHE WORLD IN EIGHTYDAYSDAYSDAYSDAYS

TRANSLATIONS OF(A)ROUND/A TOUR OFTHE WORLD IN EIGHTYDAYS

By William Butcher and Arthur Evans

The following list attempts toprovide some basic information about thebewildering variety of English translations ofLe Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (1872).1Although more than a hundred distincteditions have been published, all seem toderive from the eleven original translationslisted below. It should be emphasised thatmuch more work is needed on the generalquestion of English versions of Verne’s work,

which range from the outstanding to thoseillegally passing themselves off as authentic.What is clear from the outset, however, is thatthe translations reprinted most often are farfrom the best ones.

In line with the aim of identifyingoriginal translations, the list below omits themany scores of abridgements, simplifiedreaders, etc. Each entry contains the name ofthe translator, the original publisher, place anddate, and the title, if different from Around theWorld in Eighty Days. Next is cited the transla-tion of the first paragraph: 2

En l’année 1872, la maison portant le numéro7 de Saville-Row, Burlington Gardens —maison dans laquelle Sheridan mourut en1814 —, était habitée par Phileas Fogg, esq.,l’un des membres les plus singuliers et les plusremarqués du Reform-Club de Londres, bien

qu’il semblât prendre à tâche de ne rien fairequi pût attirer l’attention.

In addition, the opening paragraphof chapter 2 is given since this varies consider-ably (“Sur ma foi, se dit Passepartout, un peuahuri tout d’abord, j’ai connu chez MmeTussaud des bonshommes aussi vivants quemon nouveau maître!”). Finally, an overallassessment of the quality of each translation isattempted, based on the completeness, accuracyand style of the text, and a few comments aremade. Some reprints have been indicated toshow the general pattern, but withoutattempting to be exhaustive.

One or two general conclusionsemerge from the comparison. Most of theversions of this novel have been unimpressive.With three exceptions, they are generally of thesame order of length as the original text, at

Frontispiece illustration by David Hopkins for translation #1a (pages 2 & 3).

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EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGES63,000 to 66,000 words, compared with the67,000 words in French. Most are also pleasantto read, but nearly all change the contents or thestructure of Verne’s text. A few “translators”,including Edward Roth, Irene R Gibbons and,to a certain extent, Jacqueline Rogers, seem tohave untruthfully claimed work copied fromprevious texts to be their own.

The opening paragraphs of chapters 1and 2 in the reprints cited are identical to thesource translation unless indicated otherwise.There are very few reprints of the best transla-tions; as reported by David Cook (privatecorrespondence), twenty-three of his collectionof fifty-six editions of this novel are by Towle/d’Anvers (translation no. 1) and eleven byWhite (or Roth — translation no. 2). Giventhat both contain errors and omit phrases andsentences, this means that at least two-thirdsof editions are unsatisfactory.3 The majority ofpublishers of this novel, including mostmodern ones, in fact violate the moral right ofthe translators to be identified.4 Few evenidentify the text as a translation, and fewer still,from what language. Some of the mostreputable publishers are thus continuing tobehave in an illegal fashion.5

1. Trans. Geo M Towle; JR Osgood [onlyTowle is indicated as translator], Boston [1873]and Geo M Towle and N d’Anvers; SampsonLow, Marston & Co, London, 1873, The Tourof the World in Eighty Days, then changed toAround the World in Eighty Days in latereditions; some early Osgood editions even carrythe former title on the cover and the latter onthe title page.

Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7,Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the housein which Sheridan died in 1814. He was oneof the most noticeable members of theReform Club, though he seemed always toavoid attracting attention; an enigmaticalpersonage, about whom little was known,except that he was a polished man of theworld.“Faith,” muttered Passepartout, somewhatflurried, “I’ve seen people at MadameTussaud’s as lively as my new master!”

5 out of 10; sentences are omitted (includingthe elephant’s “musth”), phrases added and anumber of mistakes made. Thus we learn thatFogg wears “vests”, is bearded, is served bywaiters with “swan-skin soles”, reads the “Pall

Mall” and “Morning Post and Daily News”, andeats “a chop” for breakfast. But this translation,of 63,000 words, above all contains clumsyphrases: “wishing to taste the sweets ofdomestic life”, “viâ”, “[a] grin overspread [his]face”, “the words which Mr Fogg dropped”,“bending his eyes on Aouda”, or “[Fogg,] likea racehorse, was drawing near his last turning-point”. But in the end Fogg gets a fine rewardfor undergoing all this gobbledygook — thepassionate response to the proposal scene is:“‘Ah!” cried Aouda, pressing his hand to herheart’”!

Reprinted:a) Trans. Anon.; Octopus, London, 1978b) Trans. GM Towle and N Danvers [sic];Folio Society, London, 1982c) Trans. Anon.; Bantam, New York, 1984d) Trans. Anon.; Regent Classics, London[n.d.]e) Trans. Anon.; Thames, London [n.d.]f) Trans. Anon.; Dean, London [n.d.]g) Trans. Anon.; Bancroft, London [n.d.]h) Trans. Anon.; Miller, London [n.d.]i) Trans. Anon.; Reader’s Digest, 1988j) Trans. Anon.; Puffin, London, 1990k) Trans. Anon.; Signet, New York, 1991l) Trans. Anon.; Library of the Future (onCD), 1991 (“. . . in 1816 . . .”)m) Trans. Anon.; Fabbri, London, 1992

Illustrations by Paul Crompton for translation #7a, between pages 64 and 65.

n) Penguin Popular Classics, London, 1994“Revised and updated by Jacqueline Rogers”[directly from Geo M Towle and N d’Anvers’stext, but not acknowledging it!]. In fact, eventhe claim of “Revising and Updating” is false,since the translation seems to be changed onlyin the Americanisation of the spelling andcertain expressions.

Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7,Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the housein which Sheridan died in 1814. He was oneof the most prominent members of theLondon Reform Club, though he never didanything to attract attention; an enigmaticcharacter about whom little was knownexcept that he was a polished man of theworld.“To be sure,” muttered Passepartout,somewhat flurried, “I’ve seen people atMadame Tussaud’s as lively as my newmaster!”

o) Trans. Anon.; Viking (Penguin), NewYork, 1994p) Trans. Towle; Dover, Londonq) Many online sites, e.g. http://JV.Gilead.org.il/works.html#1 (“...in 1816...”).

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EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGES2. Trans. Stephen W White (according toTaves, op. cit.); Warburton, 1874, The Tour ofthe World in Eighty Days (or Trans. EdwardRoth, as indicated in the 1983 Scholasticedition: “. . . No. 1 Saville Row . . .”)

In the year 1872, the house No. 7, SavilleRow, Burlington Gardens—the house inwhich Sheridan died, in 1814—was inhabitedby Phileas Fogg, Esq., one of the mostsingular and most noticed members of theReform Club of London, although he seemedto take care to do nothing which mightattract attention.“Upon my word,” said Passepartout tohimself, “I have known at Madame Tussaud’sgood people as lively as my new master!”

6 out of 10; a few paragraphs and sentencesomitted, eg the paragraph about Byron in ch. 1

Reprinted:a) Vincent Parke, New York, 1911b) Trans. Anon.; RE King, London [1914]c) Trans. Anon.; Collins, Pocket Classics,London [1920s?] (reprinted in various Collinsimprints, including Fontana, 1956, andSeagull, 1958), Round the World in Eighty Days(the same title is used for d) to g) below)d) Airmont, New York, 1963e) Trans. Irene R Gibbons; Blackie, London,1965. This version (which is reprinted in PrioryClassics, London [n.d.]) appears to be a slightlymodified version of the White translation:In 1872, No. 7 Savile Row, Burlington Gardens— the house where Sheridan died in 1816 —was occupied by Phileas Fogg, Esq., one of theoddest and most conspicuous members of theReform Club in London, although he appearedto make a point of never doing anything thatcould possibly attract attention.“Upon my word,” Passepartout said tohimself in slight bewilderment, “I have seensome fellows every bit as alive as my newmaster at Madame Tussaud’s!”f) Trans. Edward Roth; Scholastic, 1983London (reprinted in the Apple Classicsimprint, London, 2002)g) Trans. Anon.; Derrydale, New Jersey, 1994(“. . . No. 7 Saville Row . . .”).

3. Trans. Anon, Round the World in Eighty Days,Hutchinson & Co [n.d.]

In the year 1872, No. 7 in Saville Row,Burlington Gardens, the house in which

Sheridan died in 1814, was inhabited byPhileas Fog, Esq., one of the most eccentric,and noticeable members of the Reform Club,although he seemed to be especially careful todo nothing which could attract any one’sattention.“Assuredly,” said Passepartout to himself,though rather startled at first, “I have seenpeople at Madam Tussaud’s quite as lively asmy new master.”

8 out of 10; complete and fluent translation.

4. Trans. Anon; Ward, Lock & Co: Youth’sLibrary of Wonder and Adventure [1879]

In the year 1872 the house, No. 7, SavileRow, Burlington Gardens, in which Sheridandied in 1816, was occupied by Phileas Fogg,Esquire, one of the most remarkablemembers of the Reform Club, though healways appeared very anxious to avoidremark.“Egad,” said Passepartout, who was ratherflurried for the minute, “I have seen figures atMadame Tussaud’s quite as cheerful as mynew master.”

6 out of 10; reasonably complete, althoughold-fashioned style. The translator may beFrederick Amadeus Malleson, since he didother Verne volumes for the same publisher.

5. Trans. Lewis Mercier; Collier, London,1962

Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7,Saville Row, Burlington Gardens. He was oneof the most noticeable members of theReform Club, though he seemed always toavoid attracting attention.

4 out of 10; since Lewis Mercier is notoriousfor the liberties taken in his version of TwentyThousand Leagues under the Sea (1872), this mustbe a reprint of a nineteenth-century textReprinted Doubleday, New York, 1964, withhowever the beginning of chapter 2 identical toTowle/d’Anvers’s!

6. Trans. Henry Frith, Routledge, Londonand New York, 1879 [“1878”], Round the Worldin Eighty Days

In the year of Grace one thousand eighthundred and seventy-two, the house in whichSheridan died in 1816—viz. No 7, SavilleRow, Burlington Gardens—was occupied by

Phileas Fogg, Esq. , one of the most eccentricmembers of the Reform Club, though italways appeared as if he were very anxious toavoid remark.“Faith,” muttered Passe-partout, who for amoment felt rather in a flutter; “faith, I haveseen creatures at Madame Tussaud’s quite aslively as my new master.”

8 out of 10; although the style is dated, this is areasonably faithful translation.

7. Trans. P Desages; Dent, London, andDutton, New York: Everyman [1926]

In the year 1872, No. 7 Saville Row,Burlington Gardens, the house in whichSheridan died in 1816, was occupied byPhileas Fogg, Esq. Of the members of theReform Club in London few, if any, weremore peculiar or more specially noticed thanPhileas Fogg, although he seemed to make apoint of doing nothing that could drawattention.“My word,” said Passepartout to himself, alittle dazed at first, “I have known atMadame Tussaud’s folks with just as much lifein them as my new master!”

8 out of 10; generally a good translation

Reprinted:a) Trans. Anon.; World International,Manchester, 1991 (“. . . Savile . . .”)b) Trans. Anon.; Ravette, London, 1992c) Wordsworth, London, 1994, followed byFive Weeks in a Balloond) Trans. P Desages; Dent: Everyman, 1994,with some very minor changes (“revised froman earlier version by P. Desages” [xxxiii]according to the editor, Peter Costello):In the year 1872, No. 7 Saville Row, BurlingtonGardens (the house in which Sheridan died in1814) was occupied by Phileas Fogg, Esq., oneof the most unusual and more remarkablemembers of the Reform Club of London,although he tried his best to do nothing thatwould draw attention to himself.“Pon my soul,” said Passepartout to himself, alittle bewildered at first. “I have known folks atMadame Tussaud’s as lively as my new master!”

8. Trans. KE Lichteneker; Hamlyn, 1965In 1872, the house at Number Seven, SavilleRow was occupied by Phileas Fogg, Esquire,one of the most remarkable and unusualmembers of the London Reform Club. It was

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EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGES

EV

his habit to avoid everything which couldarouse attention.Passepartout was alone. He dropped into achair in blank amazement. The wax models inMadame Tussaud’s were, he thought, at leastas spirited and high-strung as his newemployer. (appearing mid-way through Chap.1)

3 out of 10; the omission of the reference toSheridan is indicative of the liberties andshortcuts in this version, which has only twentychapters, instead of Verne’s thirty-seven.

9. Trans. IO Evans; Associated Booksellers,Arco, 1966

In 1872 No. 7, Savile Row, BurlingtonGardens, the former home of Sheridan, wasoccupied by Mr Phileas Fogg. He belonged tothe Reform Club of London, and although henever did anything to attract attention, hewas one of its most unusual and conspicuousmembers.“My word!” reflected Passepartout, feelingsomewhat overwhelmed, “I’ve seen people inMadame Tussaud’s who are quite as muchalive as my new master!”

3 out of 10; generally condensed rather thantranslated, with many of the historical andgeographical passages deleted and descriptionstruncated.

10. Trans. Jacqueline and Robert Baldick;Dent, London, 1968

In 1872 No 7 Savile Row, BurlingtonGardens — the house in which Sheridan diedin 1816 — was occupied by Phileas FoggEsq. He belonged to the Reform Club ofLondon, and although he seemed to take carenever to do anything which might attractattention, he was one of its strangest andmost conspicuous members.“Upon my word,” Passepartout said tohimself, feeling slightly taken aback, “I’veseen people in Madame Tussaud’s who havejust as much life in them as my new master!”

7 out of 10; the Baldicks’ Verne translations aregenerally fluent and livelyReprinted: Armada, London, 1988.

11. Trans. with an introduction and notes byWilliam Butcher; Oxford University Press,World’s Classics, 1995 (3rd revised edn 1998)

In the year 1872, No. 7 Savile Row,Burlington Gardens — the house whereSheridan died in 1814 — was occupied byPhileas Fogg, Esq. This gentleman was one ofthe most remarkable, and indeed mostremarked upon, members of the ReformClub, although he seemed to go out of hisway to do nothing that might attract anyattention.“I do believe,” he said, a little dazed at first,“that I have bumped into blokes at MadameTussaud’s with as much life in them as mynew boss!”

Translation (66,000 words) attempts to bescrupulously faithful to Verne’s text, aided byan in-depth knowledge of the manuscripts andthe correspondence: “excellent, up-to-date andinformed” Professor T Unwin, AustralianModern Languages Association Journal, 1998, p.115)Republished: Questia.com, 2001.

(F(F(F(F(Fooooooootnotnotnotnottttes)es)es)es)ootnotes)

1. A forthcoming article by Arthur B.Evans, “The English Translations of JulesVerne’s Voyages Extraordinaires”, will be the firstto identify the different translations of all ofthe novels of the Extraordinary Journeys. Theonly other relevant article is Stephen Michaluk,Jr, “Jules Verne: A Bibliographic and CollectingGuide”, pp. 103-92, in Brian Taves and StephenMichaluk, Jr, The Jules Verne Encyclopdia (1996).However, this article merely lists the manysuccessive publishers, without citing the textitself or considering the translation.

Grateful acknowledgements arerecorded to David Cook who provided muchvital information for this article from hisvaluable collection of editions.

This piece is a revised version of “TheMost Translated Verne Novel”, published inNautilus, no. 2, Jan. 2002, pp. 6-9.

2. The opening, as Roland Barthesfamously pointed out (“Par où commencer?”,Poétique, vol. 1, pp. 3-9), is of course vital forsetting the voice and structure of the wholenovel. Michael Crichton has also perceptivelycommented on the role of Verne “perfect[inghis] technique” in his first sentence, especiallyAround the World, so as to create a dense, factualtone and hence credibility (“Introduction” to

Journey to the Centre of the Earth, trans. WilliamButcher, The Folio Society, 2001, p. xvii).

3. As if to emphasise the publishers’lack of respect for the translators, in both casescontradictory information is provided as totheir identity: Towle alone or Towle andd’Anvers? White or Roth?

4. Under European law, translatorshave the right of paternity, that is the right tobe identified as translators, although this doesnot extend to translators who died before1989.

5. The Trades Description Act forbidsfalse advertising, including publishers’catalogues and covers of books. Modernpublishers of translations falsely claiming to be“unabridged” or wrongly identifying thetranslator could therefore be taken to court.

Michael Crichton has recently come toa similar conclusion regarding most Englishtranslations of Verne, although adopting amoral rather than legal standpoint: “At best . . .clunky, choppy, tone-deaf prose . . . it issurprising that . . . it is still printed and sold asVerne’s work; one would think present-daypublishers would be ashamed.” (Ibid., pp. ix-x)

Cover illustration for translation #11 by anunknown artist, from 1853-1860.