VERNE (Jules). - Lot 93

VERNE (Jules). Robur the Conqueror. 45 illustrations by Benett. Paris: Bibliothèque d’éducation et de récréation, J. Hetzel et Cie, 1886 [circa 1892]. — In-8, 269 x 176. “Steamer”-style cardboard binding, gilt edges (Magnier et fils). A new issue of the 1886 edition, bound in “Steamer” cardboard as seen on this title page and featuring the first printing of the text from 1892 through 1901 or 1902. The back cover is of the Magnier c2 type. Robur the Conqueror follows the same structure as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but transposed into the skies. Engineer Robur kidnaps Uncle Prudent and Phil Evans, two balloon enthusiasts, and takes them aboard the Albatross—a flying ship propelled by 74 electric propellers—to prove to them the superiority of “heavier-than-air” .” He then takes them on a round-the-world flight: Philadelphia → Montreal → San Francisco → Beijing → Tibet → the Himalayas → Moscow → Paris → Naples → Tunis → Timbuktu → Sudan → Dahomey → Tierra del Fuego → the South Pole → New Zealand. The two hostages, refusing to admit defeat, eventually sabotage the Albatros, which crashes. Spine slightly faded, wear on the top cap, a few stains on the covers, corners slightly creased. Foxing, two leaves partially detached (pp. 3–6). Provenance: Dr. and Mrs. Camplez, with bookplate.