1883 Rare Third Edition - The Tribulations of a Chinaman by Jules Verne
Author: Jules Verne. L. Benett, illustrator.
Title: The Tribulations of a Chinaman.
Publisher: London, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1883. Third Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5" X 6".
Pages: viii-262 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good original decorative green cloth binding, richly stamped in black and gilt. The upper cover features a striking pictorial vignette of wrecked sailors adrift at sea, enclosed within a bold geometric frame, while the spine bears an Orientalist motif of a seated Chinese figure with gilt title lettering. Publisher’s monogram blind-stamped to the rear board (hinges fine, slight crease to upper part of the spine, mild rubbing to tips, and faint shelf wear- as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. Overall, a bright and attractive example of this highly decorative Verne binding.
Content: Good to very good content (bright, tight, light to moderate foxing throughout, more pronounced on preliminary and terminal leaves (as shown), with scattered spotting on some illustrated pages. Ownership inscription dated 1951 to front free endpaper and small bookseller’s ticket (Matthews & Brooke, Bradford/Leeds) to front pastedown - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with numerous full-page wood engravings by Léon Benett, including a fine frontispiece titled “Comely girls did the waiting” and richly detailed scenes of Kin-Fo and his adventures.
Estimate: (USD 350 - USD 400).
The book: A handsome 1883 third English edition of Jules Verne’s The Tribulations of a Chinaman, first published in French as Les Tribulations d’un Chinois en Chine (1879). One of Verne’s most spirited adventure novels, it tells the story of Kin-Fo, a wealthy and bored Chinese gentleman who, believing himself ruined, contracts a friend to kill him—only to discover that his fortune has been restored, leading him on a desperate quest to save his own life.
Combining satirical humor, exotic adventure, and existential reflection, this novel stands among Verne’s more philosophically playful works, exploring the absurdities of wealth, fate, and human folly through a distinctly cosmopolitan lens. The English translation by Ellen E. Frewer was one of the earliest and remains a cornerstone of Verne’s introduction to Victorian readers.
The Author: Jules Gabriel Verne (1828–1905), the French master of adventure and scientific imagination, is celebrated as the father of modern science fiction. His novels, blending travel, technology, and the human spirit of discovery, have inspired generations of readers and writers alike. The Tribulations of a Chinaman represents a lighter, more ironic side of Verne’s genius, set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century China and the global fascination with the East.
The Illustrator: Léon Benett (1839–1917), one of Verne’s most frequent collaborators, illustrated over twenty of his novels. His engravings are noted for their narrative vigor and detailed ethnographic depictions, bringing Verne’s imaginative geographies vividly to life. In this volume, his dramatic sea and interior scenes capture both the humor and tension of Kin-Fo’s tribulations.