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Verne, Jules. A JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH. New Edition. With Fifty-two Illustrations by Riou. London: Griffith & Farran (successors to Newberry & Harris), 1876. 8 pp undated ads. Original green cloth decorated in black and gilt.

First British Edition, later (fourth?) impression. This was Verne's second book to appear in the English language (after FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON). Published in the original French in 1864, Griffith & Farran first published it in English in November 1871 (dated 1872); the translation is unfortunately quite "loose" -- for example Verne's Professor Lidenbrock here becomes Professor von Hardwigg. This first impression was priced at an astronomical seven pounds per copy; to this day it remains extremely scarce. A year later (December 1872) a second impression was printed, the price lowered to a still-very-high six pounds. Then yet a year later (December 1873 but dated 1874) a third impression was printed, with "New Edition" and the year 1874 added to the title page but otherwise the same as the first two impressions -- with the same 52 illustrations (the spine says 53) and with the same pictorial binding that shows figures descending through a cavern and also a raft making its way across a subterranean sea. According to T&M, next came this 1876-dated but otherwise-almost-identical edition (it is about 1/4-inch taller than the 1874 edition, and has three rather than two broad black bands at the top and bottom of the front cover).

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