# Topsy-Turvy — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for Topsy-Turvy by Jules Verne.

- [In Which the North Polar Practical Association Rushes a Document Across Two Worlds](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-the-north-polar-practical-association-rushes-a-document-across-two-worlds.md): The North Polar Practical Association, an anonymous Baltimore-based company, publishes a global document announcing the auction of the Arctic region within the 84th parallel. The sale is set for December 3rd in Baltimore
- [In Which the Delegates from England, Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia Are Presented to the Reader](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-the-delegates-from-england-holland-sweden-denmark-and-russia-are-presented-to-the-reader.md): The chapter introduces the European delegates arriving in Baltimore for the auction of the Arctic regions, organized by the North Polar Practical Association. Each nation—England, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, and Russia—sen
- [In Which the Arctic Regions Are Sold at Auction to the Highest Bidder](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-the-arctic-regions-are-sold-at-auction-to-the-highest-bidder.md): The North Polar Practical Association (N.P.P.A.) auctions the Arctic regions (everything within the 84th parallel) in a Baltimore auction hall. Bidding starts at 10 cents per square mile and escalates among European dele
- [In Which Old Acquaintances Appear to Our New Readers, and in Which a Wonderful Man Is Described](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-old-acquaintances-appear-to-our-new-readers-and-in-which-a-wonderful-man-is-described.md): This chapter reintroduces the key members of the Gun Club, particularly J. T. Maston, the brilliant but disabled secretary, and his admirer Mrs. Evangelina Scorbitt, a wealthy widow who finances the N.P.P.A. It recounts 
- [In Which the Possibility That Coal Mines Surround the North Pole Is Considered](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-the-possibility-that-coal-mines-surround-the-north-pole-is-considered.md): The chapter debates the existence of coal mines at the North Pole, with Major Donellan and Dean Toodrink discussing geological evidence. President Barbicane and the N.P.P.A. assert that coal deposits exist, citing Arctic
- [In Which a Telephone Communication Between Mrs. Scorbitt and J. T. Maston Is Interrupted](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-a-telephone-communication-between-mrs-scorbitt-and-j-t-maston-is-interrupted.md): J. T. Maston, the brilliant and eccentric secretary of the Gun Club, is deeply absorbed in complex mathematical calculations for a scheme to conquer the North Pole. Despite a violent storm raging outside, he remains focu
- [In Which President Barbicane Says No More Than Suits His Purpose](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-president-barbicane-says-no-more-than-suits-his-purpose.md): President Barbicane addresses a meeting of the Gun Club and stockholders, revealing the N.P.P.A.'s plan to exploit Arctic coal fields. He asserts that the Arctic is a solid continent, not an ice ocean, and hints at a rev
- [Yes, Just Like Jupiter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/yes-just-like-jupiter.md): This chapter explores the public excitement and scientific speculation surrounding Barbicane & Co.'s plan to change the Earth's axis. J.T. Maston has become obsessed with the calculations, and newspapers and citizens ali
- [In Which Appears the French Gentleman to Whom We Referred at the Beginning of This Truthful Story](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-appears-the-french-gentleman-to-whom-we-referred-at-the-beginning-of-this-truthful-story.md): The chapter introduces the public's growing anxiety over the N.P.P.A.'s secret plan to alter the Earth's axis, as European delegates stir opposition. It then focuses on the arrival of French engineer Alcide Pierdeux, a b
- [In Which a Little Uneasiness Begins to Show Itself](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-a-little-uneasiness-begins-to-show-itself.md): Public opinion turns against the N.P.P.A. as fears grow over the planned axis shift. European delegates foment unease, and the U.S. government appoints a commission of inquiry. President Barbicane and Capt. Nicholl have 
- [What Was Found in the Notebook of J. T. Maston and What It No Longer Contained](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/what-was-found-in-the-notebook-of-j-t-maston-and-what-it-no-longer-contained.md): The Inquiry Committee analyzes J. T. Maston's seized notebook, revealing the N.P.P.A.'s plan to fire a massive cannon to shift Earth's axis by 23 degrees 28 minutes using a powerful explosive called melimelonite. The cri
- [In Which J. T. Maston Heroically Continues to Be Silent](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-j-t-maston-heroically-continues-to-be-silent.md): J. T. Maston remains imprisoned in Baltimore, steadfastly refusing to reveal the location of President Barbicane and Capt. Nicholl or their plan to change the Earth's axis. Mrs. Evangelina Scorbitt visits him under the g
- [At the Close of Which J. T. Maston Utters an Epigram](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/at-the-close-of-which-j-t-maston-utters-an-epigram.md): J. T. Maston remains imprisoned, heroically refusing to reveal the location of Barbicane and Nicholl's secret operation. Despite threats of execution and a final interrogation by John Prestice and Mrs. Scorbitt, Maston d
- [Very Short, but in Which "X" Takes a Geographical Value](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/very-short-but-in-which-x-takes-a-geographical-value.md): A telegram from the American Consul in Zanzibar reveals that President Barbicane and Captain Nicholl have been conducting secret works in the Wamasai region near Kilimanjaro for eight months, under Sultan Bali-Bali's aut
- [Which Contains a Few Interesting Details for the Inhabitants of the Earthly Sphere](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/which-contains-a-few-interesting-details-for-the-inhabitants-of-the-earthly-sphere.md): The location of Barbicane & Co.'s operation at Kilimanjaro is revealed via a cable from the Zanzibar consul, leading to public panic. The Washington Observatory calculates and publishes the catastrophic consequences of t
- [In Which a Crowd of Dissatisfied People Break Into the Cell of J. T. Maston](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-a-crowd-of-dissatisfied-people-break-into-the-cell-of-j-t-maston.md): Public outrage escalates as the consequences of Barbicane & Co.'s operation become clear, dividing the world into those who would suffocate and those who would drown. Protests erupt globally, and a mob attempts to lynch 
- [What Had Been Done at Kilimanjaro During Eight Month of This Memorable Year](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/what-had-been-done-at-kilimanjaro-during-eight-month-of-this-memorable-year.md): This chapter details the secret operations of President Barbicane and Captain Nicholl at Kilimanjaro in the Wamasai region, under the protection of Sultan Bali-Bali. They have spent eight months constructing a massive ca
- [In Which the Population of Wamasai Assemble to Hear President Barbicane Say ‘Fire’ to Capt. Nicholl](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-the-population-of-wamasai-assemble-to-hear-president-barbicane-say-fire-to-capt-nicholl.md): On the evening of September 22, at midnight local time, President Barbicane and Capt. Nicholl prepare to fire the massive cannon at Kilimanjaro. Sultan Bali-Bali, his court, and thousands of natives gather at a safe dist
- [In Which J. T. Maston Regrets That the Crowd Did Not Lynch Him When He Was in Prison](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-j-t-maston-regrets-that-the-crowd-did-not-lynch-him-when-he-was-in-prison.md): After the failed attempt to shift the Earth's axis, J. T. Maston faces public ridicule and humiliation. Despite Mrs. Scorbitt's efforts to shield him, he ventures out only to be jeered by crowds. Meanwhile, Barbicane and
- [In Which This Story, as Truthful as It Is Improbable, Is Finished](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-this-story-as-truthful-as-it-is-improbable-is-finished.md): The final chapter reveals that J.T. Maston's miscalculation—forgetting three zeros in the Earth's circumference—caused the N.P.P.A.'s operation to fail, sparing the world from catastrophe. Maston is disgraced but later m
- [Very Short, Since Enough Has Been Said to Make the World’s Population Feel Perfectly Sure Again](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/very-short-since-enough-has-been-said-to-make-the-world-s-population-feel-perfectly-sure-again.md): The chapter reassures the global population that the dangerous plan to shift the Earth's axis has been definitively disproven by Alcide Pierdeux's calculations. President Barbicane and Captain Nicholl will not resume the

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