Description
VERNE (Jules).
Five Weeks in a Balloon. A Journey of Discovery in Africa by Three Englishmen.
Paris: Bibliothèque d’éducation et de récréation, J. Hetzel, [1866]. — Small 8vo, 234 x 150: frontispiece, (2 leaves), 370 pp., (1 leaf), 23 plates. Publisher’s cardboard binding in blue percaline with a ‘bouquet of roses’ design, the back cover decorated with embossed motifs in the centre and at the corners, edges gilt.
First illustrated edition and the first, extremely rare single-cover binding of the very first illustrated volume of *Les Voyages extraordinaires*, which appeared in bookshops in early 1866. It is in small 8vo format.
The novel recounts the daring expedition of Dr Samuel Fergusson, a Scottish scholar, who crosses Africa from east to west aboard the Victoria balloon, accompanied by his sceptical servant, Dick Kennedy, and the resourceful young cabin boy, Joe.
The illustrations comprise 51 drawings by Édouard Riou and Henri de Montaut, including a frontispiece and 23 plates.
Blue cardboard binding with a ‘bouquets of roses’ design. The spine, type 1, features a fully enclosed central oval, and the back cover is adorned with a blind-stamped design. A catalogue leaf is included at the end.
A copy from the collection of Éric Weissenberg (1941–2012), a distinguished member of the International Jules Verne Centre (trustee from 2004 to 2009) and the Jules Verne Society (since 1986), and a specialist in Hetzel editions. A passionate collector of hardback editions, he contributed extensively to the Bulletin de la Société Jules Verne, notably with his column dedicated to collectors. He co-authored *Jules Verne – Hetzel and the Illustrated Cartonnages* and published *Jules Verne: A Fabulous Universe* (2004), in which he revealed previously unpublished documents from his collection.
The hardback has been very skilfully restored and rebound.
Provenance:
Éric Weissenberg, with bookplate (auction 12/10/2017, lot 3).
See original version (French)
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About the sale
Claude Mozis Library – Black Africa and the African diaspora
Auction location
Auction time
10/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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