A Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

VERNE, Jules.

Item Number: 109526

New York: Scribner, Armstrong, and Co, 1874.

Rare first American edition, first state of the work that marked the beginning of science fiction as a genre, preceding the deluxe edition. Octavo, original publisher’s illustrated terra-cotta cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, illustrated with engravings including tissue-guarded frontispiece. The first American edition was published in 1873, but dated 1874 in three colors of cloth: terra-cotta, blue, and green. In fine condition, contemporary name. A superior example.

The third installment in Verne's fifty-four novel sequence Voyages Extraordinaires, A Journey to the Centre of the Earth established the formula for the author's greatest successes, mainly a departure from realism and the integration of science fiction to complete complex journeys of scientific exploration. The story involves German professor Otto Lidenbrock who believes there are volcanic tubes going toward the centre of the Earth. He, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans descend into the Icelandic volcano Snæfellsjökull, encountering many adventures, including prehistoric animals and natural hazards, before eventually coming to the surface again in southern Italy, at the Stromboli volcano. The genre of subterranean fiction already existed long before Verne. However, Journey considerably added to the genre's popularity and influenced later such writings. For example, Edgar Rice Burroughs explicitly acknowledged Verne's influence on his own Pellucidar series.