It was a popular tome during the golden era of adventurers. In the past centuries, explorers had discovered a whole new world. David Livingstone combed the jungles of Africa. Robert Peary and Ronald Amundsen braved the extreme cold of the poles. Lindbergh and Earhart aggressively pushed the boundaries of early flight. In short, it was an exciting time to be alive. These days, emulating Jules Verne’s epic circumnavigation can be anticlimactic. After all, you can easily do it on scheduled flights in little more than 80 hours. If you forego...