1894 Rare – The Conquest of the Moon by André Laurie, Jules Verne’s Collaborator

Author: André Laurie. Illustrated by Georges Roux.
Title: The Conquest of the Moon. A Story of the Bayouda.
Publisher: London, Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1894.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7" x 5".
Pages: vi-334 pages + publisher's catalog.
Binding: Attractive and very good original light blue pictorial cloth binding, richly decorated with gilt and black titles and illustration on the front cover and spine; back cover stamped with the crest and initials of the Coopers' Company School (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Good to very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing, toning and staining - as shown, school prize presentation inscription dated 1896 on the first endpaper - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with 9 full-page black-and-white illustrations throughout the text, including the dramatic frontispiece captioned “Great chief! great chief! we will always remain with thee.” The illustrations are by Georges Roux, richly detailed and full of dynamic energy typical of late 19th-century adventure fiction.

Estimate: (USD 250–350).

The book: A rare and wonderfully preserved 1894 adventure-science fiction hybrid by André Laurie—often linked to the early French speculative fiction tradition of Jules Verne. The Conquest of the Moon does not depict an actual lunar journey, but uses the title metaphorically as it follows daring European adventurers through the Bayouda Desert in Africa, facing strange tribes, hostile landscapes, magical elements, and ultimate celestial symbolism. A fine example of late-Victorian imperial fantasy cloaked in scientific curiosity, this edition is particularly striking in its elaborate pictorial binding and dramatic illustrations.

The author: André Laurie was the pen name of Paschal Grousset (1844–1909), a French political figure, journalist, and prolific science fiction writer. He collaborated with Jules Verne on several works and often used exotic settings and speculative technology as backdrops for tales of exploration and conquest. His works are now considered foundational in the development of early European science fiction.

The illustrator: Georges Roux (1850–1929) was one of the most important illustrators of Jules Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires series. Known for his detailed and dramatic engravings, Roux brought to life numerous 19th-century adventure and science fiction tales. His work on The Conquest of the Moon adds a bold visual dimension that matches the novel’s adventurous spirit.