(1828-1905) The French novelist was the first authentic exponent of modern science fiction. The best of his work is characterized by intelligent predictions of technical achievements actually within man's grasp at his time. His novels include the classics A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873). While studying law, Verne wrote plays and librettos, but soon turned to writing novels full-time. He wrote dozens of books in his career and became the world-famous and wealthy author of adventures that are still in print today, including In Search of the Castaways (1868), The Mysterious Island (1874) and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).