Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

6b Jules Verne. Boston: Geo. M. Smith & Co., 1873. First U. S. Edition of Geo. M. Smith.

Notes

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, first published in 1870, is one of the most celebrated adventure novels by the French writer Jules Verne. The story follows Professor Pierre Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and the Canadian harpooner Ned Land after they are taken aboard the mysterious submarine Nautilus, commanded by the enigmatic Captain Nemo. As the vessel travels across the world’s oceans, the travelers encounter remarkable underwater landscapes, strange marine life, and hidden wonders of the deep. Combining scientific curiosity with thrilling exploration, the novel reflects the nineteenth century’s fascination with discovery and technological possibility.

The 1873 Geo. M. Smith edition of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas was released immediately following the tragic destruction of the ultra-rare Osgood printing in the Great Boston Fire of 1872. Geo. M. Smith acquired the rights and issued this definitive version, immediately distinguished by its iconic green cloth binding featuring a striking gold-gilt vignette of Captain Nemo peering through a sextant. While it corrected the previous publisher's glaring page-numbering error on page 142 and unified the title to properly read "Seas" on both the cover and the 1873 title page, the earliest state of this production run uniquely preserved the rare, leftover text sheets displaying the bold words "THE END" on page 303.

Jules Verne (1828–1905) was a pioneering figure in early science fiction, known for weaving imaginative adventure with detailed scientific speculation. His novels, often grouped under the series Voyages Extraordinaires, sought to educate as well as entertain readers by exploring geography, science, and technological progress. Works such as Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas helped establish Verne as one of the most widely read authors of his time. The enduring popularity of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas lies in its vivid portrayal of exploration and its visionary depiction of submarine travel decades before such technology became a practical reality.

Description 

Green canvas binding with green and black details on cover and spine. Captain Nemo in gilt to circle on upper cover. Some fading of color along extremities. Points and head and foot of spine bumped with slight fraying. Blue ink inscription to first black flyleaf. Illustrative frontispiece and over a hundred illustrations throughout with some instances of image ghosting onto previous page. ‘THE END’ with some fading to the letters on the final page. Good/very good condition overall.