"First complete translation of Jules Verne's science-fiction novel about a string quartet abducted onto a floating, man-made island inhabited by millionaires touring the archipelagos of the South Pacific"--;Cover; Title Page ; Copyright Page ; Contents ; Introduction by Volker Dehs; Translator's Note; Part One; I. The Concerting Quartet; II. The Power of a Cacophonous Sonata; III. A Chatty Mentor; IV. The Concerting Quartet Disconcerted; V. Standard Island and Milliard City; VI. Invitees ... Inviti; VII. Heading West; VIII. Navigation; IX. The Hawaiian Archipelago; X. Crossing the Line; XI. The Marquesas Islands; XII. Three Weeks in the Tuamotus; XIII. Stopping at Tahiti; XIV. Parties and More Parties; Part Two; I. In the Cook Islands; II. From Island to Island; III. Concert at the Court.;"The Self-Propelled Island is the first unabridged English translation of Jules Verne's original story featuring a famous French string quartet that is abducted by an American businessman and taken to Standard Island to perform for its millionaire inhabitants. The quartet soon discovers that Standard Island is not an island at all, but an immense, futuristic ship possessing all the features of an idyllic haven. Equipped with the most opulent amenities, Standard Island travels the Pacific Ocean, traversing the south archipelagos and stopping at many "sister" islands for the pleasure of its well-heeled inhabitants. These inhabitants soon meet with the danger, in its various forms, that is inherent in ocean travel. Meanwhile, the French quartet is witness to the rivalry that exists between the two most powerful families onboard, a rivalry that keeps the future of the island balancing on the edge of a knife. First published in English in 1896, the novel was originally censored in translation. Dozens of pages were cut from the story because English translators felt they were too critical of Americans as well as the British. Here, for the first time, readers have the pleasure of reading The Self-Propelled Island as Verne intended it."--