VERNE Jules - Lot 371

VERNE Jules The Mysterious Island. 1875. Cartonnage "aux deux éléphants Engel". Violet. The title cartouche on the first board is presented in "negative" (also called "inverted" cartouche). Second board with palmettes. Chamois endpapers. 1st printing and 1st binding concomitant with the "banner". This is undoubtedly Engel's first attempt at cartonnage "aux deux éléphants", before he adopted the "positive" cartouche and before the 1875-1876 catalog was printed. We know that only the version with the "positive" cartouche was definitively adopted by Hetzel. Presence of the first catalog d'étrennes, slight restoration. Spine gold very present, rare quality in this difficult color.