Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne, published in 1870. It is about the fictional Captain Nemo and his submarine, Nautilus. It was inspired by a model of the French submarine Plongeur (launched in 1863) was displayed at the 1867 University Expo, where it was studied by Jules Verne. The description of Nemo s ship, the Nautilus, was considered ahead of its time, as it accurately describes features on submarines, which at the time were very primitive vessels. The book was highly acclaimed when it was released and still is. It is regarded as one of the premiere adventure novels and one of Verne s greatest works, along with Around the World in Eighty Days and Journey to the Center of the Earth.