MERIDIANA

The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians in South Africa.


Written by Jules Verne and published by Scribner, Armstrong & Co., New York. The date 1874 is on the title page. According to Myers (39), this book is probably the third printing (of three) since the design on the front is not gilt stamped, there are 6 titles of Verne books including this one on the verso of the title page, and there are 8 pages of advertisements for Scribner books in the back.

Prior to publishing this edition, Scribner, Welford, & Armstrong (Scribner, Welford was formed for the importation of foreign books) imported sheets of the British 1872 Sampson Low edition with the title page dated 1873 and offered it for sale in November of 1872. It is thought that this book was issued hurriedly to beat Henry Shepard’s unauthorized edition titled Land of the Behemoth. Land of the Behemoth was published the same day that the first printing of the book was issued. What-ever, the 1873 edition, and technically the true first American edition, is very rare and extremely difficult to find, especially if you want to pay less than $1500.

The book is fully illustrated with 48 full page woodcut engravings.

From Wikipedia:

Originally titled Aventures de Trois Russes et de Trois Anglais Dans L’Afrique Australe in 1872, this Vernian African adventure combines the mystique of an unexplored continent, scientific knowledge in the area of astronomy and cartography, and geo-politics as they were in the mid 1850s. Unfortunately for the joint Russian-English expedition of exploration, the Crimean War breaks out making the two nationalities enemies. It makes for an interesting story with very interesting characters. I especially like Verne’s characterization of the bushman Mokoum, who has to put up with a great deal of bickering on the part of the scientist-explorers while guiding them and keeping them safe from their own of stupidity and ignorance. Anyone that can ride a zebra has to be somewhat super-human.

DESCRIPTION:

232 pages + 8 page publisher’s catalog in back

7 5/8 x 5 1/4 inches

first edition/3rd printing hardcover

CONDITION:

This hard-cover book is in very good condition, but comes with some restoration. The green cloth cover is mildly soiled and has had some restoration work done on the corners and spine ends. The book was rebound and recased in its original cover. The original yellow endpapers were retained, but the hinges have paper patches over them that are visible. The interior is nice with no names, marks, underlining, tears or odor. The paper is mildly toned with age. As with all antiquarian books (nearly 150 years old) care should be taken with the paper. The hinges and binding are excellent with no loose or missing pages.

Nineteenth century books by Verne were well read and generally passed from friend to friend and from generation to generation. Often read by boys (who aren’t known for taking the best care of books) most of them are found in very ratty condition. As a restored copy and with moderate care, this book will last another hundred years.

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