Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea 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. A model of the French submarine "Plongeur" (launched in 1863) was displayed at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, where it was studied by Jules Verne, who used it as an inspiration for the novel. The title refers to the "distance traveled" while under the sea and
Valley of the Dragons (1961 film) to try and get on the earth the next time the comet approaches. The film was produced by Al Zimbalist who says he was given a copy of the Verne novel that his 16 year old son Don had found in a London bookshop. Director Edward Bernds says the novel had not been published in the US due to its anti semitism. Jules Verne adaptations were in vogue at the time ever since the success of "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and "Around the World in 80 Days". Zimbalist had the rights to footage for "One Million B.C." (1940).