Jules Verne - Une ville flottante [rarissime cartonnage au globe pour ce titre] - 1897

VERNE (Jules) - A Floating City. Followed by The Blockade Runners (or Adventures of 3 Russians and 3 Englishmen in South Africa) - Paris, J. Hetzel et Cie, (Imprimerie Gauthier-Villars). Illustrated edition with a gilded globe on the cover from the collection of the Voyages Extraordinaires. No date, 1897.

Grand In-8 (approx. 27 x 18 cm). Half-title, elegant title page in sepia and black with vignette, text richly illustrated with superb wood engravings in the text and on plates after drawings by Férat, engraved by Pannemaker and Hildibrand.
The publisher’s red cloth with the famous plate featuring the “golden globe,” the first plate richly stamped in black and gold. Smooth spine adorned with gold and polychrome decorations. Gilt edges.

Exemplar in very good overall condition. The publisher’s binding preserves bright colors and sparkling gilding on the first plate, with handling wear at corners and headbands. The interior is clean, with foxing at the beginning and end of the work and light marginal damp-stains.

Historical and literary context
Originally published in 1871, this double-volume gathers two of Jules Verne’s most engaging narratives. A Floating City directly draws on the author’s own transatlantic voyage aboard the Great Eastern, the largest paddle-wheel and screw-driven steamer of the Victorian era. Verne depicts with striking realism the enormity of this sea giant, blending psychological drama with maritime chronicle.

As for the second tale (The Blockade Runners or Adventures of 3 Russians and 3 Englishmen according to the double editions of the collection), it plunges the reader into the thrilling episodes of the Civil War or geodetic expeditions, illustrating the scientific genius and adventurous spirit characteristic of the Voyages Extraordinaires.

Very rare titles in this binding!