Deals with the importance of the novel `Paris au XXe siecle,' by Jules Verne. Culmination of social trends in 20th century France in the novel; Perceptions of Verne by the reading public; Arguments on the labeling of Verne as a futurist; Plotting of the novel; Implications of the discovery of the novel for scholars on Verne; Discrepancies between the original text and the reprints; Questioning of the novel's authorship.