{"product_id":"five-weeks-in-a-balloon","title":"Five Weeks in a Balloon","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbove Africa, three companions trust their lives to a balloon, careful reasoning, and a dwindling supply of gas.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDoctor Samuel Fergusson has a daring plan: cross Africa from east to west by balloon. His friend Dick Kennedy doubts the scheme but refuses to let him go alone. Joe, Fergusson’s cheerful servant, brings complete faith and quick wits. From Zanzibar, they rise in the Victoria, leaving solid ground behind for a journey at the mercy of the wind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Five Weeks in a Balloon, Jules Verne brings science into the thick of adventure. Lakes, rivers, deserts, and wildlife pass below the basket, while storms and thirst put the travellers at risk. Fergusson trusts knowledge to carry them through, but gas is limited. Alongside the danger and jokes, the story reveals nineteenth-century European views of exploration, including the colonial attitudes of its time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat you'll discover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA daring invention\u003c\/strong\u003e – Explore the Victoria, whose layered design and gas heater turn scientific ideas into adventure.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThree very different companions\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet a calm scientist, a doubtful hunter, and a resourceful servant who face danger together.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGeography beneath the basket\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow lakes and rivers as Fergusson considers the great puzzle of the Nile’s source.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDanger with no firm ground\u003c\/strong\u003e – Feel the tension as storms, thirst, and limited gas test the travellers’ courage and judgment.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFriendship under pressure\u003c\/strong\u003e – Enjoy companions who bicker, joke, and save each other when careful plans meet real danger.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers who love old-fashioned adventure, travel, maps, and inventions, or want to explore the beginnings of science fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page and join Fergusson in London as he announces his daring plan.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534590312796,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/03216_en_ebook-front_c20.jpg?v=1792174929","url":"https:\/\/libraryofalexandria.com\/products\/five-weeks-in-a-balloon","provider":"The Library of Alexandria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}