From the Earth to the Moon & Around the Moon by Jules Verne (Wordsworth Classics); 1865/2011. Softcover.

In the aftermath of the American Civil War, the members of The Baltimore Gun Club find themselves in a dilemma—without a war, there is no demand for their innovative gun designs. Eager for a new challenge, the club’s President Barbicane sets an ambitious to build the largest gun in the world, powerful enough to shoot a man to the moon.

Such a gun has never been attempted, so the club faces a myriad of challenges including what to make it from, where to build it, when to shoot it, and—most importantly—how to ensure that a passenger inside the gun’s projectile can survive the trip.

In From Earth to the Moon , the members of the gun club undertake the engineering challenge, and Around the Moon follows the three voyagers on their journey to the moon and back.