Science Fiction Pioneer

When Jules Verne was born in 1828, his family had his future planned out for him. They expected him to become a lawyer, but he dreamed of writing. He started out writing more traditional poetry and plays, but then he began to create a new, unconventional kind of fiction. It combined adventure, the modern world of science and invention, and his personal view of the future. With fantastical characters, spaceships to the moon, and deep-sea submarines, his books told of things that would not actually occur for decades. Tom Streissguth lives in Minneapolis and works as a writer and editor. He has written more than twenty-five non-fiction books for young people, including biographies and books on history and geography. His volumes in the Biography® series include Legends of Dracula, Jesse Owens, Queen Cleopatra, Jack London, and Edgar Allan Poe. Mr. Streissguth has also written several VGS titles including Argentina in Pictures, Costa Rica in Pictures, and Brazil in Pictures as well as scripts for television.