From the Earth to the Moon

[Cynthia Moore]

I was talking to a friend who is a physicist. Somehow the discussion went to space travel, which reminded me of a science fiction book I read in high school or college many, many years ago. In the book, a group decides to build a cannon to shoot several people and a couple of dogs to the moon. In the initial blast, one of the dogs dies. They decide to eject it from the capsule. The dog naturally travels along side the capsule. But inside the capsule, the people feel the pull of gravity and do not float about. I remember an image of a bullet-shaped capsule with a little window and a dead dog traveling alongside.

After a little checking, I decided that the book must have been From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne, written in 1865. I found the book on Amazon and bought it. But the copy I got has no pictures and most of the book, 198 or 213 pages, is about the design and building of the cannon and the projectile and the politics. The last 3 chapters are about the actual trip, but, since there was no radio back then, there are no details.

I was able to find the picture that I remembered here: https://tinyurl.com/yd692f7j.

Do I have the right book?

Did I get an abridged copy with no illustrations?

Any help is appreciated.

PS: When I previewed this post, I got a directive in Bold Red to put the author and book title in the tags. But when I do, I get a warning that tags cannot be longer than 25 characters. The title of this book is 26. (sigh)

[Pompey Bum]

I was talking to a friend who is a physicist. Somehow the discussion went to space travel, which reminded me of a science fiction book I read in high school or college many, many years ago. In the book, a group decides to build a cannon to shoot several people and a couple of dogs to the moon. In the initial blast, one of the dogs dies. They decide to eject it from the capsule. The dog naturally travels along side the capsule. But inside the capsule, the people feel the pull of gravity and do not float about. I remember an image of a bullet-shaped capsule with a little window and a dead dog traveling alongside.

After a little checking, I decided that the book must have been From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne, written in 1865. I found the book on Amazon and bought it. But the copy I got has no pictures and most of the book, 198 or 213 pages, is about the design and building of the cannon and the projectile and the politics. The last 3 chapters are about the actual trip, but, since there was no radio back then, there are no details.

I was able to find the picture that I remembered here: https://tinyurl.com/yd692f7j.

Do I have the right book?

Did I get an abridged copy with no illustrations?

Any help is appreciated.

PS: When I previewed this post, I got a directive in Bold Red to put the author and book title in the tags. But when I do, I get a warning that tags cannot be longer than 25 characters. The title of this book is 26. (sigh)

Hello Cynthia! I'm afraid I can't help you much. I've read little science fiction (and no Verne), so the novel doesn't ring a bell. The image of the dead dog as a fellow traveler is an arresting one. Verne was probably just trying to show something interesting about the laws of physics, but I'm struck by the (probably unintended) metaphor for the way things we think we've discarded stay with us and even wear us down.

I wouldn't worry too much about the tags, by the way. They are not mandatory (I think they mostly guide searches to the site). One solution might have been to have chopped an article or two from the title (From Earth to Moon--something like that) but it's probably too late for that now.

Sorry I couldn't be more help. Maybe someone else has come across the book.

[Danik 2016]

I didn´t read the book either, but, looking at the link you posted, I noticed there is a sequel to it called "Round the Moon". Maybe that´s the book you are looking for.

[Red Terror]

Never read those books by Verne, only Around the World in 80 Days. I did read Wells novel The First Men in the Moon --- the moon travelers actually go inside the moon and meet the Selenites. I strongly recommend it.

[wreade1872]

I didn´t read the book either, but, looking at the link you posted, I noticed there is a sequel to it called "Round the Moon". Maybe that´s the book you are looking for.

From 'Earth to the Moon' is the first volume of the tale but today usually includes both 'Earth to the Moon' and 'Around the Moon' neither of which have any dogs. The tale is about two americans and a french man but nobody dies.
I have read something with a dead body thrown outside and it floating alongside the ship but it wasn't a dog.
The only other tale i can think of to use the cannon idea is the pulp 'Maza of the Moon' which uses a nuclear powered cannon but that also doesn't have any dogs.