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In the final months of the American Civil War five Northerners find themselves trapped in the Southern capital of Richmond. They conceive of a plan to escape with a balloon kept nearby.However, not all goes as planned and as a powerful gale surprises them, their balloon veers off course by some thousands of miles and the five find themselves fighting desperately for their survival... (plot summary by Piotr Nater)

The present translation is by the American Stephen W. White. It first appeared in the Evening Telegraph of Philadelphia, PA and was later published as an Evening Telegraph Reprint Book (1876). According to Taves and Michaluk “Although more faithful than any other translation, this one has never been reprinted”. Still, there is still condensation and omission of some sections such as Verne's description of how a sawmill works. (taken from the Redactor's Note available at Project Gutenberg. ( Norman M. Wolcott) and Wikipedia)

"Shipwrecked in the Air", together with 2 subsequent volumes, "The Abandoned" and "The Secret of the Island", form "The Mysterious Island".