Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “Around the World in 80 Days,” a novel by Jules Verne published in 1872.

In this story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a 20-thousand pound wager ( over two million pounds now) set by his friends. It is one of Verne's most acclaimed works.

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