Jules Verne - Mistress Branican [cartonnage au portrait imprimé] - 1891

Splendid binding called 'with printed portrait', spine against the lighthouse, overall fresh colors and golds, clean percaline, minor flaws: slightly faded spine, lightly rubbed headbands and corners, rubbing on the title cartouche of the first cover (gold embellishments slightly faded), colors a bit duller on the first cover, some discreet stains on the lower cover. Interior fresh, some scattered foxing. Solid work, in good condition.

First illustrated edition with 83 drawings by Benett, 12 chromotypographies, and 2 large chromolithography maps. FN catalog at the end (new releases for 1891-1892).

One of the most prestigious types, as it falls into the category of so-called polychrome cardboard boxes, with a back to the lighthouse. The center of the plate features a portrait of Jules Verne, depicted in an inclined photograph. The other subjects are of various kinds and borrow from the works of the series: among others, you can see Robur's flying ship (top left), the balloon from Cinq semaines en ballon (top right), and in the center, a globe. These motifs are in color. At the bottom, numerous gold objects are depicted (elephant, harpoons, cannon, axe, buoy, anchor, rope, telescope...). The bottom of the plate bears the inscription Voyages extraordinaires in a cartouche that spans the entire width of the cover. (hetzel.free.fr)

The story of the novel begins in the United States to take the reader to the deep Australia, the land of the desert bushes, through the two parts of the book.

A work by Jules Verne published in 1891, whose title pays tribute to a female figure by giving her an undisputed place of honor.

To write this book, Jules Verne was inspired by the story of Captain John Franklin's wife, who disappeared in 1848 with his entire crew in the polar ice during an expedition aimed at discovering the mythical Northwest Passage and exploring the Arctic Sea.

Jules Verne
Mistress Branican
Paris, Hetzel (1891)
Octavo in 8 (18 x 28 cm), 440 pages + 4 unnumbered pages catalogue FN

Subject: Cardboard with printed portrait of Jules Verne Hetzel Branican 1891 first edition