1881 French Hetzel Initiales Edition - Cinq Semaines en Ballon by Jules Verne
Author: Jules Verne. Illustrated by Riou and De Montaut.
Title: Cinq Semaines en Ballon. Voyage de découvertes en Afrique par trois Anglais.
Publisher: Paris, J. Hetzel et Cie, 18 rue Jacob, circa 1881.
Language: Text in French.
Size: 11 x 7 inches.
Pages: 267 pages + publisher’s catalogue “Education & Récréation” bound at rear. Catalogue "AP", prepared for the year 1882.
Binding: Attractive and near fine publisher’s original red cloth binding “Cartonnage aux Initiales” by Hetzel, richly decorated in gold and black, with elaborate Greek-key borders and floral gilt panels designed by Engel. The upper board displays the gilt initials “JV” (Jules Verne) and “JH” (Hetzel) within ornate medallions. The spine is equally decorative, with gilt titles and ornamented compartments (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. The binding remains one of the most striking examples of Hetzel’s 19th-century decorative art.
Content: Good content (tight and clean, the text is clean and solid throughout with scattered foxing typical of the period, notably to preliminaries and engravings - as shown, the original pale blue endpapers remain intact and fresh - as shown).
Illustrations: Profusely illustrated by Édouard Riou and Henri de Montaut, with a frontispiece, numerous in-text engravings, and a double-page map of Central Africa tracing Dr. Ferguson’s route. Engraved title page and headpieces throughout add to the visual appeal.
Estimate: (USD 350 – 500).
The book: A splendid example of Cinq Semaines en Ballon, the first novel in Jules Verne’s celebrated “Voyages Extraordinaires” series, here presented in the magnificent “Cartonnage aux Initiales” binding designed by Engel for publisher J. Hetzel. Produced circa 1881 and complete with the Magasin d’Éducation et de Récréation AP catalogue for the same year, this edition represents one of the most visually striking formats in which Verne’s works were issued.
The Cartonnage aux Initiales binding, replacing earlier figurative designs such as the “Homme au Ballon,” epitomizes Hetzel’s turn toward refined symmetry and emblematic ornamentation in the 1880s. Its deep red cloth and intricate gilt work capture the prestige associated with the Voyages Extraordinaires—books intended both for reading and display.
Five Weeks in a Balloon launched Verne’s unparalleled series of scientific adventures, setting the stage for Voyage au centre de la Terre, Vingt mille lieues sous les mers, and others. Combining humor, ingenuity, and geographic imagination, it established Verne’s literary universe and Hetzel’s golden standard for illustrated publishing.
The author: Jules Verne (1828–1905), visionary French novelist and pioneer of speculative fiction, remains one of the most influential writers in literary and scientific imagination. His Voyages Extraordinaires—a monumental series of adventure novels published by Hetzel—combined accurate scientific detail with thrilling exploration. Cinq Semaines en Ballon (1863), his first success, embodies the Verne spirit: a fusion of invention, discovery, and human curiosity that continues to inspire readers and explorers alike.
The illustrators: Édouard Riou (1833–1900) and Henri de Montaut (fl. 19th century) were among Hetzel’s most accomplished illustrators. Riou, a student of Gustave Doré, brought dramatic realism and atmosphere to Verne’s early works, while Montaut contributed precise, dynamic engravings that vividly depict the mechanics of exploration. Their collaboration on Cinq Semaines en Ballon gave the novel its enduring visual identity and helped define the aesthetic of the Voyages Extraordinaires series.