1881 Rare Second Edition - Hector Servadac The Career of a Comet by Jules Verne

Author: Jules Verne. Translated by Ellen E. Frewer.
Title: Hector Servadac; or, The Career of a Comet.
Publisher: London, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1881. Second Edition (stated).
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8 x 5.5 inches.
Pages: x, 370 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good publisher’s original green pictorial cloth binding, elaborately stamped in black and gilt to upper board and spine with comet and celestial motifs; rear board blind-stamped with publisher’s device (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. Overall, an attractive and collectible example of this striking Victorian design.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, toning to last page only- as shown, early ownership inscription to the front free endpaper - as shown). Exceptionally clean and well-preserved internally.
Illustrations: With numerous black-and-white illustrations throughout the text, all present and well printed.

Estimate: (USD 400–600).

The book: One of Jules Verne’s most imaginative scientific romances, Hector Servadac follows a group of individuals carried away on a fragment of the Earth’s crust after a comet collides with the planet, sending them on a sweeping voyage through the solar system. Combining astronomical speculation, adventure narrative, and philosophical reflection on isolation and survival, the novel exemplifies Verne’s ability to merge scientific curiosity with dramatic storytelling. This early English edition, handsomely issued in decorative pictorial cloth, captures the Victorian fascination with celestial mechanics and interplanetary travel. The vivid comet-stamped binding, together with the unusually clean interior of this copy, makes it an especially appealing example for collectors of Verne’s classic voyages extraordinaires.

The author: Jules Verne (1828–1905) was the pioneering French novelist whose works laid the foundations of modern science fiction. Through novels such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Hector Servadac, he combined emerging scientific knowledge with imaginative adventure, inspiring generations of readers and influencing the development of speculative fiction worldwide.