The Chase of the Golden Meteor

The discovery of a falling golden meteor and the race to find it form the core of this exciting tale from the master of science fiction, Jules Verne. An asteroid wanders into the earth's gravitational field and is spotted by two rival Virginia astronomers. The discovery becomes a worldwide sensation when it is announced that the asteroid is solid gold and is plummeting toward earth.The approaching disaster is brought on by the machinations of the brilliant but absent-minded French scientist and inventor Zephyrin Xirdal. Xirdal has invented a ray with which he pulls the golden asteroid from orbit and hopes to guide it to crash at a spot of his choosing. Xirdal, the two Virginia astronomers and their families, and representatives from many nations race to find and claim the golden meteor.The Chase of the Golden Meteor is vintage Verne, artfully blending hard science and scientific speculation with a farcical comedy of manners. This unabridged edition will be sure to delight Verne's legion of fans and attract new ones.Jules Verne (1828-1905), one of the founders of science fiction, is the author of such classics as Around the World in Eighty Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.Gregory A. Benford is an acclaimed science fiction writer and a professor of physics at the University of California, Irvine. He has won the Nebula Award for Timescape and If the Stars Are Gods, cowritten with Gordon Eklund.

Jules Verne (1828–1905), one of the founders of science fiction, is the author of such classics as Around the World in Eighty Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.

Gregory A. Benford is an acclaimed science fiction writer and a professor of physics at the University of California, Irvine. He has won the Nebula Award for Timescape and If the Stars Are Gods, cowritten with Gordon Eklund.

I. In which Judge Proth performs one of the most agreeable duties of his office before returning to his garden

1

(16)

II. Which introduces the reader into the house of Dean Forsyth, and acquaints him with the latter's nephew, Francis Gordon, and the servant, Mitz

17

(16)

III. In which something is said about Dr. Sydney Hudelson, his wife, Mrs. Flora Hudelson, and Miss Jenny and Miss Loo, their daughters

33

(13)

IV. How two letters sent, one of them to Pittsburg Observatory and the other to Cincinnati Observatory, were docketed and put away in the folio referring to bolides

46

(2)

V. In which, in spite of their perseverance, Mr. Dean Forsyth and Dr. Hudelson receive news about their meteor only through the newspapers.

48

(11)

VI. Which contains some statements on meteors in general, and on the bolide, in particular, which caused the dispute for priority between Mr. Dean Forsyth and Dr. Hudelson

59

(13)

VII. In which Mrs. Hudelson appears much annoyed at the doctor's attitude, and Mitz is heard to snub her master.

72

(12)

VIII. In which Press polemics aggravate the situation, which ends in a discovery as incontestable as it is unexpected

84

(13)

IX. In which the newspapers, the public, Mr. Dean Forsyth, and Dr. Hudelson go in for mathematics

97

(9)

X. In which Zephyrin Xirdal has an idea, and even two

106

(26)

XI. In which Mr. Dean Forsyth and Dr. Hudelson experience a violent emotion

132

(8)

XII. In which Mrs. Arcadia Stanfort is seen to wait in her turn, not without much impatience, and in which Mr. John Proth declares himself not competent

140

(26)

XIII. In which, as was foreseen by Judge Proth, a third competitor appears, soon followed by a fourth

166

(14)

XIV. In which Widow Thibaut, by thoughtlessly meddling with the most abstruse problems of celestial mechanics, causes grave anxieties to the banker, Robert Lecoeur

180

(15)

XV. In which J. B. K. Lowenthal designates the winner of the prize

195

(10)

XVI. In which a number of sight-seers profit by the opportunity to go to Greenland and be present at the fall of the extraordinary meteor

205

(12)

XVII. In which a passenger of the Mozik meets with a passenger of the Oregon, and the marvellous bolide at last meets with the terrestrial globe

217

(12)

XVIII. In which, in order to reach the bolide, Monsieur de Schnack and his numerous accomplices act the part of trespassers and burglars

229

(9)

XIX. In which Zephyrin Xirdal experiences an increasing aversion to the bolide, and what is the consequence of this aversion

238

(40)

XX. Which will be read perhaps with regret, but which the author's respect for historic truth compels him to write, as one day or other the annals of astronomy will prove

278

(6)

XXI. A last chapter, giving the epilogue of this story, in which Mr. John Proth, the Whaston judge, says the concluding word

284

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The Chase of the Golden Meteor

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials