Jules Verne - L'Agence Thompson and Cº - 1907

Jules Verne. The Thompson and Co. Agency.

Illustrations by Benett.

Paris, Library of Education and Recreation, Jules Hetzel publisher. 1907. Grand in 8 double. 492 pages. Publisher's binding in polychrome percaline “to an elephant and to the fan” with a lighthouse spine, bound by Engel (second plate type “I”). Gilt edges. Gauthier-Villars printing.

First illustrated edition and the only binding for this title. Binding with luminous golds without foxing. Slight gathering irregularities. Guard leaves split, discreetly consolidated and books slightly warped (see photos), with early signs of detachment on some gatherings. Outer edge of some pages slightly folded and tearing (no damage on one, see photo).

Twelve grey or polychrome plates hors-texte.

In London, Robert Morgand, a young French aristocrat now in the greatest destitution, signs on as interpreter-guide on the Seamew, a vessel chartered by Thompson and Co Agency which offers about sixty tourists drawn by derisory prices a cruise that is to take them to the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands.

From the arrival in the Azores, the lack of organization and preparation of Thompson, the cruise administrator who accompanies the passengers, is evident, although Robert does his best to remedy his patron's incaution. As days and ports of call pass, the cruise turns into a nightmare. The passengers, colorful for the most part, experience it differently according to their character.

A first illustrated edition of one of Jules Verne’s posthumous works with minor defects and revisions...