<Tr> <Th> Preceded by </Th> <Td> In Search of the Castaways </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Followed by </Th> <Td> Around the Moon </Td> </Tr> <P> Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: A Tour of the Underwater World (French: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers: Tour du monde sous - marin, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: A Tour of the Underwater World") is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne published in 1870 . </P> <P> The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre - Jules Hetzel's periodical, the Magasin d'Éducation et de Récréation . The deluxe illustrated edition, published by Hetzel in November 1871, included 111 illustrations by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou . 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 . 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 . </P>

What is the main idea of 20 000 leagues under the sea