A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, French Voyage au centre de la Terre, novel by prolific French author Jules Verne, published in 1864.

It is the second book in his popular series Voyages extraordinaires, which contains novels that combine scientific facts with adventure fiction and laid the groundwork for science fiction.

In 1863, German professor Otto Lidenbrock buys the manuscript of an old Icelandic saga.

Inside it, he and his nephew, Axel, find a coded document written by an Icelandic alchemist named Arne Saknussemm.

Decoding it, they discover the runes are directions to the center of the earth.

Saknussemm explains that he has successfully made this journey, which makes the professor believe it is possible.