Lighthouse at the End of the World by Jules Verne
Lighthouse at the End of the World was pretty much the last book Verne sent off to his publisher before he died, and William Butcher’s translation comes with an excellent introduction and compendious notes which explain the various problems engendered by this. Verne revised heavily at the proof stage, but Lighthouse never had the benefit of this process, and was instead knocked into shape by his son Michel as part of a settlement with Verne’s publisher Hetzel. Butcher’s translation is based primarily on the original manuscript and refers to Michel’s revisions only when absolutely necessary (it says here - as ever I just have to take the translator’s word for it). The story itself is a short, entertaining thriller starring one man pitted against a vicious mob of frustratedly land-bound pirates, and is much more enjoyable than Paris in the Twentieth Century. There is no heavy-handed agenda here, although some message could perhaps be read in the isolation of the setting of the story, and the apparently straightforward battle of good against evil around which the cleverly constructed plot pivots. But the reader would probably be best advised to enjoy it as a pure adventure story and leave it at that.
Incidentally, William Butcher provides his full annotated translation of Around the World in 80 Days on his excellent website, which is well worth exploring if you’re at all interested in Jules Verne.