Jules Verne — auteur Henri Meyer — dessins Charles Barbant — gravures - Un capitaine de quinze ans - 1896

Beautiful illustrated edition of Jules Verne's A Captain at Fifteen, published by Hetzel in the famous Voyages Extraordinaires collection.

This copy features a remarkable Hetzel polychrome binding “with the golden globe,” also called “with the golden map,” with a lighthouse spine. The cover is richly decorated with motifs evoking travel, geography, navigation, and exploration. The binding is attributed to Hetzel productions from the late 19th century and the early 20th century.

The text is illustrated from drawings by Henri Meyer, engraved by Charles Barbant. The work tells the adventures of Dick Sand, a fifteen-year-old sailor who becomes captain against his will, in a tale blending navigation, exploration, and African adventure.

Condition: binding is solid but shows signs of wear. The headcaps and ends of the spine are scuffed and show loss of material, the corners are worn, and the borders show rubbing. The binding, however, preserves a very beautiful polychromy, with a particularly decorative cover. The interior appears overall in good condition, with normal aging of the paper and some light markings visible in the photographs.