J.B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, 1873
First Edition, First Printing A stunning example in clean, vibrant, emerald green cloth with bright unfaded gilt titles. Published in 1873 by J. B. Lippincott & Co. Scribner, Armstrong & Co. New York, with 1873 on the title page. First edition, first state of this scarce Verne title. Illustrated with 170 engravings. Please see image of the title and copyright pages.
A stunning larger format book with the book being quite heavy with thick paper stock, 9″ high, and 6.5″ across and 2″ thick, lavishly decorated with gilt titles to spine and a gilt emblem with black embossing to the front displaying a sailboat at sea. One of the few works by Verne to have not been published by Sampson Low, and contains 3 parts of the original story. Later this title would be reprinted/published as three separate tales VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, THE MYSTERIOUS DOCUMENT, and AMONG THE CANNIBALS. Four pages of adverts to the rear of the book.
The book is in exquisite condition having been rebacked for strengthening by an expert conservator. The vibrant green cloth has strong, unfaded gilt titles to the front and spine. The cloth is in beautiful clean, fresh condition, still maintaining its original sheen, and has sharp corners with no edgewear. The binding is very tight and square and as such the book is quite readable and not delicate nor fragile nor falling apart (most Verne books typically are found with loose and cracked bindings and falling apart). Original brown coated end papers, with no owner names, no bookplates and no inscriptions. Soft faded pencil inscription dated from 1873 on the first blank page. The internal pages very clean and fresh with no handling marks, no stains, no foxing, no writing and no bent pages. An unusually clean copy, neatly bound!
A handsome, elegant, very readable copy of an extremely scarce FIRST printing title, with other books of this title in similar condition listed on Abe for $4000.00 and up.
