The Mysterious Island. By Jules Verne. Translated by W. H. G. Kingston. Illustrated by Edward A. Wilson. Illustrated Edition. Heritage Press. Norwalk, 1987.

French author Jules Verne pioneered numerous literary genres and produced some of the bestselling novels of the late nineteenth century. His Voyages Extraoadinaires were particularly popular. These novels and short stories were a series of exploration and adventure tales that have continued to be classics–works like A Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Around the World in Eighty Days. But aside from those titles, probably none is more significant than The Mysterious Island. Originally published in 1874, it tells the story of a group of American Union Civil War prisoners who escape the confederates by hijacking a hot air balloon. After several days in the air, they end up on a previously uncharted Pacific island where volcanos, storms, and other dangers await. On the island, they also discover one of Verne’s most beloved characters: Captain Nemo. It is a novel rife with surprises and charm.

This illustrated edition is in fine condition. In the original quarter cloth, fine. Text block fine. In the original slipcase, about-fine with only fading along edges. With the publisher’s original Sandglass pamphlet laid in.

A fine illustrated edition of The Mysterious Island.