Book excerpt: Doctor Ox's Experiment and Other Short Stories by Jules Verne Jules Verne pioneered the genre of science-fiction. He is best known for his novels ""Journey to the Center of the Earth"" (1864), ""Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"" (1870), and ""Around the World in Eighty Days"" (1873). Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before navigable aircraft and practical submarines were invented, and before any means of space travel had been devised. He is the third most translated author of all time. His prominent novels have been made into films. Verne, along with H. G. Wells, is often referred to as the ""Father of Science Fiction."" And this is a nice collection with ten of his short stories.