In Search of the Castaways
A novel about searching for a missing captain.
Jules Verne's novel *In Search of the Castaways* (originally *Les Enfants du capitaine Grant*, meaning "The Children of Captain Grant") was serialized beginning in 1865. The story revolves around a search for a lost ship captain after a message from him is discovered inside a bottle. English editions have gone by various names, such as *A Voyage Round The World* and *Captain Grant's Children*. The first printing, from publisher Hetzel, featured artwork by Édouard Riou.
The plot begins when Lord and Lady Glenarvan of Scotland find a bottle in the ocean containing a distress note from Captain Grant, whose ship the *Britannia* has been wrecked. They contact Grant's children, Mary and Robert, through a newspaper advertisement. After the government declines to mount a rescue, the Glenarvans, moved by the children's plight, decide to undertake the mission themselves. The main challenge is that the wreck's coordinates are mostly illegible; only the latitude (37°11') remains, while the longitude is completely illegible, forcing the expedition to circle the 37th parallel south. The bottle was found inside a shark's stomach after the shark was caught and cut open, so tracing its origin by ocean currents is impossible. The remaining clues are a few words in three languages, which are reinterpreted several times throughout the novel, pointing to locations such as Chile, Argentina, the southern tip of Australia, New Zealand, and even the northern edge of Antarctica (though they never sail there).
Lord Glenarvan makes finding Grant his personal mission. Along with his wife, Grant's children, and the crew of his yacht the *Duncan*, they head for South America. An unexpected passenger, French geographer Jacques Paganel, joins the search after accidentally boarding the *Duncan* instead of his steamer to India. They explore Patagonia and Australia, using these settings to describe local flora, fauna, and geography. In Australia, they meet Ayrton, a former quartermaster of the *Britannia*, who offers to lead them to the wreck site. However, Ayrton is a traitor: he was not present when the *Britannia* was lost but was abandoned in Australia after a failed mutiny to seize the ship for piracy. He attempts to take control of the *Duncan*, but this plot also fails by sheer luck. The Glenarvans, the Grant children, Paganel, and some sailors are left stranded in Australia.
Quick Facts
- Title Orig
- Les Enfants du capitaine Grant
- Author
- Jules Verne
- Illustrator
- Édouard Riou
- Country
- France
- Language
- French
- Series
- The Extraordinary Voyages #5
- Genre
- Adventure novel
- Publisher
- Pierre-Jules Hetzel
- Release Date
- 1867–1868
- English Release Date
- 1873
- Media Type
- Print (Hardback)
- Preceded By
- From the Earth to the Moon
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
After finding a message in a bottle in the ocean from Captain Grant whose ship the Britannia has been wrecked, Lord and Lady Glenarvan of Scotland contact the young daughter and son of Grant, Mary and Robert, through an announcement in a newspaper. The government refuses to launch a rescue expedition, but Lord and Lady Glenarvan, moved by the children's condition, decide to do it by themselves. The main difficulty is that the coordinates of the wreckage are mostly erased, and only the latitude (37°11') is known, while the longitude is completely illegible; thus, the expedition would have to circumnavigate the 37th parallel south. The bottle was found inside a shark's stomach after the shark was caught and cut open, so it is impossible to trace its origin by the currents. Remaining clues consist of a few words in three languages.
Reader's Guide
In Search of the Castaways is a significant work in Jules Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires series, showcasing his characteristic blend of adventure, geography, and scientific curiosity. The novel's structure—a global search along the 37th parallel south—allowed Verne to describe the flora, fauna, and geography of numerous places, including Patagonia, Tristan da Cunha, Amsterdam Island, Australia, and New Zealand. The work has been adapted into multiple films and a zarzuela, and its characters, particularly the traitor Ayrton, reappear in Verne's later novel The Mysterious Island, linking the stories. The novel's publication history reflects the common practice of retitling Verne's works in English, with translations appearing under titles such as A Voyage Round the World and Captain Grant's Children. The modern unabridged English translation by Don Sample, released in 2018–2019, claims to be more faithful and complete than earlier versions. The novel's legacy includes its influence on adventure literature and its continued readership, as evidenced by multiple film and television adaptations across different countries and decades.
Did You Know?
- The novel was published in 1867–1868, with the first edition illustrated by Édouard Riou.
- The coordinates of the wreckage are mostly erased, with only the latitude (37 degrees) known, forcing the expedition to circumnavigate the 37th parallel south.
- The character Ayrton reappears in Verne's later novel L'Île mystérieuse (The Mysterious Island, 1874).
- The novel has been adapted into a Spanish zarzuela (1877), a French silent film (1914), a Soviet film (1936), a US film (1962), and a Bulgarian-Soviet TV miniseries (1985).
More in Novels by Jules Verne 1-24
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