And was it all worth the trouble in the end? You bet it was. I sat through it in wide-eyed wonder, the submarine attacks on the paddle-driven man-o-war; James Mason’s urbane and disturbing Captain Nemo; the majestic Nautilus sliding under the waves; Peter Lorre’s bug-eyed Conseil; the fabulous battle with the giant squid; the thrilling final escape and tragic ending as the doomed Nautilus slipped sadly beneath the waves. It might have been argued that Kirk Douglas was irritatingly rambunctious as Ned Land but I was willing to forgive him for anything at that stage. And as for his co-conspirator Mr Disney? Well, we’ve all survived him, haven’t we? ... I guess...
        I arrived home enthralled and overawed and once I had tormented everyone to the point of fury with my tales of seaborne adventure, I finally arrived in my room, emotionally drained and physically exhausted. Almost involuntarily, I picked up the book and turned it over once or twice in my hands. The cover picture seemed drab compared to the cinemascope and technicolour images that still filled my head. I lay on my bed and opened the pages to the place where the text began and allowed the words to flow. Immediately, the images came, the paddle ships crushed and sinking at the attack of the mysterious sea monster, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre earnestly discussing possible explanations. The words and the images rose off the page in unison and poured through my brain like a river and I read and read on right through the night of the very best day of my life.