This page last updated: March 23, 2024

Sets/Series
Fitzroy Edition
Edited by I. O. Evans F.R.G.S.

List of Fitzroy Edition Titles / Images of the Fitzroy Edition

Collection Andrew Nash

I. O. Evans (Idrisyn Oliver Evans) love of science fiction and Jules Verne led him to envisage a series of Jules Verne books where he could re-introduce to the public the many works that were not commonly known. It was the publisher Bernard Hanison (a 29 year old) who signed a contract with I. O. Evans in 1958 for such a series.

The address of the offices of Bernard Hanison was 10 Fitzroy Street, and hence the name of the series, Fitzroy Edition.

Bernard Hanison says in Sept 2000:

  • Yes, you are right. "The Fitzroy Edition" was named after the street where my offices were, 10 Fitzroy Street. I had purchased the lease of 10 Fitzroy Street in 1952 for the remaining period of 20 odd years for a small amount, and £700 per year rent without any rent reviews. It turned out to be a great bargain and in 1962 when I sold the property to property developers made more money than I ever made in publishing. Somewhere there is a moral,but I cannot find it. Fitzroy Street was, or still is, a very famous street in central London in the heart of Bloomsbury. My own building was used in the 1920s and 1930s as the meeting place of the "Fitzroy Group" group of English artists, and many famous people had lived there. It was demolished in 1962 or 3 with all the attatched magnificant buildings tgo make way for a new office block which is now the offices of one of the famous advertising agents. Some original buildings still remain, however, especially in Fitzroy Square (London, W1), that is adjacent.
  • Note from ANash: Fitzroy Square was developed in 1794 by the First Baron of Southampton and named after his grandfather Charles Fitzroy, Second Duke of Grafton. It was designed by Robert Adam. Famous residents of the square include George Bernard Shaw and Virginia Woolf (both living at No. 29, but not at the same time)

Bernard Hanison published under his own name Bernard Hanison, London and also under ARCO Publications Ltd., London.

After signing the contract with I. O Evans, Bernard, in 1959, sold the companies and the works to be published to MacGibbon and Kee. It was MacGibbon and Kee who continued to publish the Fitzroy Edition under the ARCO Publications banner. Any books in the works at the time could still be published but recognition to the publishing entity Bernard Hanison had to be given.

The first books in the Fitzroy Edition, can be identified as such because of the Hanison markings:

  • The Begum's Fortune (Bernard Hanison, London, 1958)
  • From the Earth to the Moon (Bernard Hanison, London, 1959)
  • Dropped from the Clouds (Bernard Hanison, London 1959, Copyright 1959 by Bernard Hanison Limited)
  • Secret of the Island (Bernard Hanison, London 1959, Copyright 1959 by Bernard Hanison Limited)
  • Tigers and Traitors (Arco Publications with Bernard Hanison, London 1959, Copyright 1959 by Arco Publications)
  • Demon of Cawnpore (Arco Publications with Bernard Hanison, London 1959)
  • Round the Moon (Arco Publications with Bernard Hanison, London 1958)
  • Michael Strogoff (Arco Publications with Bernard Hanison, 1959)

Note that the first three books mentioned in the introduction written by I. O. Evans are:

  • A Floating City
  • Begums Fortune
  • Five Weeks in a Balloon

ARCO went on to publish 63 different titles in the Fitzroy Edition.

From the back of the dustjacket of some of the early books in the series:

THE FITZROY EDITION OF Jules Verne

The intention of this new edition of one of the greatest of imaginative writers is to make it as comprehensive as possible, and to include his lesser-known, as well as his most popular works. Jules Verne is universally acclaimed as the founder of modern science fiction and as the author of a number of exciting stories of travel and adventure, but he also produced several historical novels and some acute studies of contemporary life.

The first three books in the series are selected to illustrate several aspects of his work. A Floating City is based on his own experiences when he crossed the Atlantic in the ill-fated Great Eastern, a vessel that was intended to be the greatest achievement of nineteenth-century engineering but which proved to be its greatest failure. The Begum's Fortune, a remarkable work of science fiction, displays its author's gift of foresight, for it contains not only what is probably the first idea of an artificial satellite but a grim foreboding of the modern totalitarian state. Finally, Five Weeks in a Balloon demanded inclusion, for it was through this book that Verne won his success as a writer.

The series is under the general editorship of I. O. Evans, F.R.G.S., compiler of Jules Verne: Master of Science Fiction, and for many years an admirer of Verne and a science fiction addict. 

From the back of the dustjacket for Jules Verne and his Work, a review attributed to The Guardian says of the Fitzroy Edition:

In the days of science fiction the old masters are not necessarily outworn; their prescience and vitality remain something to wonder at, even if their world is old-fashioned. The major works of Jules Verne have never been dropped; witness the fabulous success of Round the World in Eighty Days...The volumes in the Fitzroy Edition by I. O. Evans, give in somewhat abbreviated form some of the lesser known novels which I found most entertaining. With his tremendous knowledge and industry, Verne filled pages with detail which is here pruned away to give a quicker narrative.
Fitzroy Edition Jules Verne Checklist
by Andrew Nash
Printable Fitzroy Checklists:
Now V2.0, added 2 x Consul (Dec 6, 2022)
Excel Spreadsheet Checklist - Fitzroy EXCEL Checklist
PDF Checklist - Fitzroy PDF Checklist

The books in the Fitzroy Edition edited by I. O. Evans, were published by:
  • Bernard Hanison, London - 4 Titles - 1950's
  • Arco Publications with Bernard Hanison, London - 5 Titles - 1950's
  • Arco Publications, London - 59 Titles - 1960's
  • Associated Booksellers, Westport Conn. - 63 titles - 1960's
  • MacGibbon & Kee, London - 29 Titles - 1970's (at least 28 titles)
  • Granada, London - 6 Titles - 1970's
  • ACE (paperbacks) - 10 titles - 1960's
  • Panther Books (paperbacks) - 6 Titles - 1960's
  • Consul Books, World Distributors, London - 1 Title - 1965
  • Amereon Household Ltd, USA - ? Titles - 1980's

(Note: the Fitzroy Edition also contains books by other authors including Jack London)

Some of the titles in the series were translated by I. O. Evans, while others were simply editted (and abridged!).
There was a requirement by the publishers to have each book in the series be a certain length, approximately 190 pp. Because of this, I. O. Evans did 2 different things. He abridged the stories, so that they would be the required length, and he also broke longer books up into 2 parts, so that the parts would be the required length.
It is because of this "break-up" of books, and the different titles assigned to each half of a book, that has caused some confusion among readers and collectors as to what book is being read. It can be quite difficult to match up a Fitzroy title with the original Jules Verne title!
This list clarifies what the original title of each book was, by using "aka" (also known as), and by using "pt 1: ..." and "pt 2: ..." where necessary.

There are 63 titles in the complete Fitzroy Edition series. These are the Hardcover books, with Dustjackets,  published by Bernard Hanison (London), ARCO (London), & Associated Booksellers (Westport, Connecticut).
There are also 10 titles duplicated in the paperback Fitzroy Edition series. These are the paperback books published by ACE, New York. The image of Jules Verne on the cover of these books is by Ron Miller.
Additionally, I have included at the bottom of the lists, 2 biographical books authored by I. O. Evans about Jules Verne ( Jules Verne: Master of Science Fiction - A selection from his writings with a critical study by I. O. Evans & Jules Verne and His Work )

Fitzroy Edition, Hardcover with Dustjacket
Spine Details Var. A Var. B Var. C Var. D
Bernard Hanison (London)
ARCO (London)
Associated Booksellers (Westport, Connecticut)
Macgibbon & Kee (London)

Printable Fitzroy Checklists:
Now V2.0, added 2 x Consul (Dec 6, 2022)
Excel Spreadsheet Checklist - Fitzroy EXCEL Checklist
PDF Checklist - Fitzroy PDF Checklist

Alphabetical listing of ALL 63 titles in "The Fitzroy Edition" compiled by Andrew Nash
(after the table, there are images of all the dustjackets):

l. Adrift in the Pacific (pt 1: Two Years Vacation)
2. Among the Cannibals (pt 2: Children of Captain Grant)
3. Anomalous Phenomena (pt 1: Hector Servadac) 
4. Around the World in 80 Days
5. At the North Pole  (pt 1: Captain Hatteras) 
6. Begum's Fortune (aka: 500 Millions of the Begum)
7. Black Diamonds (aka: Child of the Cavern)
8. Burbank the Northerner (pt 1: North Against South)
9. Carpathian Castle
10. Chancellor (aka: Wreck of the Chancellor)
11. City in the Sahara  (pt 2: Barsac Mission)
12. Claim on Forty Mile Creek  (pt 1: Golden Volcano)
13. Clipper of the Clouds
14. The Cryptogram (pt 2: Jangada/Giant Raft) 
15. Danube Pilot 
16. Demon of Cawnpore  (pt 1: Steam House) 
17. Down the Amazon  (pt 1: Jangada/Giant Raft)
18. Drama in Livonia 
19. Dropped from the Clouds  (pt 1: Mysterious Island)
20. Dr Ox and Other Stories
21. End of the Journey (pt 2: Thompson and Company, Agents)
22. Five Weeks in a Balloon
23. Flight to France
24. A Floating City
25. Flood and Flame  (pt 2: Golden Volcano) 
26. For the Flag
27. From the Earth to the Moon 
28. Green Ray + The Blockade Runners 
29. Homeward Bound  (pt 2: Hector Servadac) 
30. Hunt for the Meteor  (aka: Chase of the Golden Meteor)
31. Into the Abyss  (pt 2: Family Without a Name)
32. Into the Niger Bend  (pt 1: Barsac Mission)
33. Journey to the Centre of the Earth
34. Leader of the Resistance  (pt 1: Family Without a Name)
35. Masterless Man  (pt 1: Survivors of the Jonathan)
36. Master of the World
37. Measuring a Meridian  (aka: Adventures of 3 Englishmen...) 
38. Michael Strogoff 
39. Mysterious Document  (pt 1: Children of Captain Grant)
40. Mystery of Arthur Gordon Pym  (aka: Sphinx of the Icefields)
41. Package Holiday  (pt 1: Thompson and Company, Agents) 
42. Propeller Island  (aka: Floating Island) 
43. The Purchase of the North Pole 
44. Round the Moon 
45. Salvage from the Cynthia  (aka: Wreck of the Cynthia)
46. School for Crusoes  (aka: School for Robinsons) 
47. Sea Serpent  (aka: Tales of Jean-Marie Cabidoulin)
48. Second Year Ashore  (pt 2: Two Years Vacation) 
49. Secret of the Island  (pt of 2 Mysterious Island) 
50. Secret of Wilhelm Storitz 
51. Show on Ice (pt 2: Caesar Cascabel) 
52. Southern Star Mystery 
53. Sun in Eclipse  (pt 1: Fur Country) 
54. Texar the Southerner (pt 2: North Against South)
55. Through the Bering Straight (pt 2: Fur Country) 
56. Tigers and Traitors (pt 2: Steam House) 
57. Travelling Circus (pt 1: Caesar Cascabel) 
58. Tribulations of a Chinese Gentleman 
59. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea 
60. Unwilling Dictator  (pt 2: Castaways of the Jonathan)
61. Village in the Treetops
62. Wilderness of Ice  (pt 2: Captain Hatteras)
63. Yesterday and Tomorrow

By clicking on the "cover image" below, you will go to a page containing larger images of the covers,arranged approximately 6 images per page, and the page size is approximately 125k

Fitzroy Edition
Hardcover with Dustjacket
Publisher:

  • Bernard Hanison, London
  • Arco Publications with Bernard Hanison
  • Arco Publications, London
  • Associated Booksellers, Westport, Connecticut
1.
Adrift in the Pacific
(pt 1: Two Years Vacation)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

17.
Down the Amazon 
(pt 1: Jangada/Giant Raft)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

33. Journey to the Centre of the Earth

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

49. Secret of the Island
(pt of 2 Mysterious Island)

2. Among the Cannibals
(pt 2: Children of Captain Grant)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

18. Drama in Livonia

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

34. Leader of the Resistance
(pt 1: Family Without a Name)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

50. Secret of Wilhelm Storitz

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

3. Anomalous Phenomena
(pt 1: Hector Servadac)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

19.
Dropped from the Clouds 
(pt 1: Mysterious Island)

Bernard Hanison
Associated Booksellers

35.
Masterless Man
(pt 1: Survivors of the Jonathan)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross - AB

51. Show on Ice
(pt 2: Caesar Cascabel)

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

4.
Around the World in 80 Days

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

20.
Dr Ox and Other Stories

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

36.
Master of the World

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross

52. Southern Star Mystery

5.
At the North Pole
(pt 1: Captain Hatteras)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

21.
End of the Journey 
(pt 2: Thompson and Company, Agents)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

37.
Measuring a Meridian 
(aka: Meridiana; Adventures of Three Englishmen...)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

53. Sun in Eclipse 
(pt 1: Fur Country)

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

6.
The Begum's Fortune
(aka: 500 Millions of the Begum)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

22.
Five Weeks in a Balloon

Bernard Hanison with Arco Publications
Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

38.
Michael Strogoff

Bernard Hanison with Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

54. Texar the Southerner
(pt 2: North Against South)

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross - AB

7.
Black Diamonds
(aka: Child of the Cavern/ Underground City)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross

23.
Flight to France

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

39.
Mysterious Document
(pt 1: Children of Captain Grant)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

55. Through the Behring Strait 
(pt 2: Fur Country)

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

8.
Burbank the Northerner 
(pt 1: North Against South)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross - AB

24.
A Floating City

Bernard Hanison
Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

40.
Mystery of Arthur Gordon Pym 
(aka: Sphinx of the Icefields)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

56. Tigers and Traitors 
(pt 2: Steam House)

9.
Carpathian Castle

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross - AB

25.
Flood and Flame 
(pt 2: Golden Volcano)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross - AB

41.
Package Holiday 
(pt 1: Thompson and Company, Agents)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

57. Travelling Circus 
(pt 1: Caesar Cascabel)

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

10.
The Chancellor 
(aka: Survivors/Wreck of the Chancellor)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

26.
For the Flag

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross - AB

42.
Propeller Island
(aka: Floating Island)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

58. Tribulations of a Chinese Gentleman 

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross - AB

11.
The City in the Sahara
(pt 2: Barsac Mission)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

27.
From the Earth to the Moon

Bernard Hanison
Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
Michael Jarvis - MK

43.
The Purchase of the North Pole

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

59. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

12.
The Claim on Forty Mile Creek
(pt 1: Golden Volcano)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross - AB

28.
The Green Ray & The Blockade Runners

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

44.
Round the Moon

Bernard Hanison with Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

60. Unwilling Dictator 
(pt 2: Castaways of the Jonathan)

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross - AB

13.
The Clipper of the Clouds

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross

29.
Homeward Bound 
(pt 2: Hector Servadac)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

45.
Salvage from the Cynthia
(aka: Wreck of the Cynthia)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

61. Village in the Treetops

14.
Cryptogram (The) 
(pt 2: Jangada/Giant Raft)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

30.
Hunt for the Meteor
(aka: Chase of the Golden Meteor)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

46.
School for Crusoes
(aka: School for Robinsons)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

62. Wilderness of Ice
(pt 2: Captain Hatteras)

Dustjacket Artist:
Jozef Gross - AB

15.
Danube Pilot

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

31.
Into the Abyss 
(pt 2: Family Without a Name)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

47.
Sea Serpent 
(aka: Tales of Jean-Marie Cabidoulin)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Dustjacket Artist:
William Langstaffe - AB

63. Yesterday and Tomorrow

16.
Demon of Cawnpore 
(pt 1 of Steam House)

Bernard Hanison with Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

32.
Into the Niger Bend 
(pt 1: Barsac Mission)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

48.
Second Year Ashore
(pt 2: Two Years Vacation)

Arco Publications
Associated Booksellers

Fitzroy Edition Paperbacks
Publisher: ACE, New York

Below, original Jerome Podwil art for the cover illustrations

1963 oil on board 13.75 x 10.5 in........................1965 Oil on canvas 17 x 15.5 in.

Collection Andrew Nash

1967 Gouache on board 21.5 x 17.5 in

.-.
Fitzroy Edition Paperbacks
Publisher: ACE, New York
1. Begum's Fortune 
(aka: 500 Millions of the Begum)
1958
Ace Books #H-49
191pp

Dustjacket Artist:
Jerome Podwil & Ron Miller

5. For the Flag
1961
Ace Books #24800
190 pages

Dustjacket Artist:
Jerome Podwil & Ron Miller

8. Tigers and Traitors 
(pt 2: Steam House)
1959

Dustjacket Artist:
Jerome Podwil & Ron Miller

2. Carpathian Castle 
(aka: Castle in the Carpathians)
1963
Ace Books #H-60
190pp

Dustjacket Artist:
Jerome Podwil & Ron Miller

6. Hunt for the Meteor 
(aka: Chase of the Golden Meteor)
Ace Books #H-78

Dustjacket Artist:
Jerome Podwil & Ron Miller

9. Village in the Treetops
1958
Ace Books #H-67
190pp

Dustjacket Artist:
Jerome Podwil & Ron Miller

3. City in the Sahara
(pt 2: Barsac Mission)
1960
Ace Books #H-43
191pp

Dustjacket Artist:
Jerome Podwil & Ron Miller

7. Into the Niger Bend
(pt 1: Barsac Mission)
1960
Ace Books #H-41
ISBN:0002008041

Dustjacket Artist:
Jerome Podwil & Ron Miller

10. Yesterday and Tomorrow
1965
Ace Books #H-52

Dustjacket Artist:
Jerome Podwil & Ron Miller

4. Demon of Cawnpore
(pt 1: Steam House
Ace Books #14253
174pp

Dustjacket Artist:
Jerome Podwil & Ron Miller

.-.
Fitzroy Edition Paperbacks
Publisher: Panther Books, London
Black Diamonds

Five Weeks in a Balloon

Propeller Island

Carpathian Castle

The Mystery of Arthur Gordon Pym

The Secret of Wilhelm Storitz

.-.
Consul Books
World Distributors
London
Copyright 1965

City in the Sahara
Science-Fiction at its Greatest

(Ed: YES, They only published 1 part of Barsac!)

Consul No. 1425

3/6

Copyright 1965

Journey to the Centre of the Earth
The classic best-seller by the inventor of science-fiction

Consul No. 1375

3/6

Copyright 1964

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Consul No. 1343

3/6

.-.
Fitzroy Edition - Hardcover with Dustjacket
Granada Publishing
MacGibbon and Kee
Copyright 1972
London

Research: Jules Verne and Macgibbon Publisher!

According to the rear flap of the From the Earth Dustjacket, these are the titles that "were/will be" published by Macgibbon and Kee:

  1. Around the World in 80 Days (Collection Andrew Nash)
  2. From the Earth to the Moon (Collection Andrew Nash)
  3. Journey to the Centre of the Earth *** Not in the "Flap" list! (British Library / University of Warwick Library))
  4. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (University of Greenwich)

    *** The BELOW have NOT been seen and may NEVER have been published!!!
  5. Adrift in the Pacific (pt 1: Two Years Vacation)
  6. Among the Cannibals (pt 2: Children of Captain Grant)
  7. Anomalous Phenomena (pt 1: Hector Servadac)
  8. Begum's Fortune (aka: 500 Millions of the Begum)
  9. Black Diamonds (aka: Child of the Cavern)
  10. Burbank the Northerner (pt 1: North Against South)
  11. Carpathian Castle
  12. Chancellor (aka: Wreck of the Chancellor)
  13. City in the Sahara  (pt 2: Barsac Mission)
  14. Claim on Forty Mile Creek  (pt 1: Golden Volcano)
  15. Clipper of the Clouds
  16. Dropped from the Clouds  (pt 1: Mysterious Island)
  17. Five Weeks in a Balloon
  18. Hunt for the Meteor  (aka: Chase of the Golden Meteor)
  19. Master of the World
  20. Michael Strogoff
  21. Mystery of Arthur Gordon Pym  (aka: Sphinx of the Icefields)
  22. Package Holiday  (pt 1: Thompson and Company, Agents) 
  23. Propeller Island  (aka: Floating Island) 
  24. Round the Moon
  25. Second Year Ashore  (pt 2: Two Years Vacation)
  26. Secret of the Island  (pt of 2 Mysterious Island)
  27. Show on Ice (pt 2: Caesar Cascabel) 
  28. Sun in Eclipse  (pt 1: Fur Country)
  29. Texar the Southerner (pt 2: North Against South) *** NOT in "Flap" list, but assumed
  30. Tribulations of a Chinese Gentleman
.-.
Fitzroy Edition - Hardcover with Dustjacket
Granada Publishing - 1977 to 1979
Hart-Davis, Macgibbon
London, Toronto, Sydney, New York
Carpathian Castle

Collection Andrew Nash

From the Earth to the Moon

Collection Andrew Nash

Package Holiday
(Part 1 of The Thompson Travel Agency|
- NO part 2)

Collection Andrew Nash

The Clipper of the Clouds

Collection Andrew Nash

The Masterless Man
(Part 1 of The Survivors of the Jonathan - NO Part 2)

Collection Andrew Nash

Propeller Island

Collection Andrew Nash

.-.
Printable Fitzroy Checklists:
Now V2.0, added 2 x Consul (Dec 6, 2022)
Excel Spreadsheet Checklist - Fitzroy EXCEL Checklist
PDF Checklist - Fitzroy PDF Checklist

Books on Jules Verne by I. O. Evans


on page: Cover Images - 13

Jules Verne: Master of Science Fiction
1956
Sidgwick and Jackson
London

with Dustjacket and 1 photo (of Verne opposite the title page)
236 pages


Jules Verne: Master of Science Fiction
nd
Rinehart & Company, Inc
New York

with Dustjacket and 1 photo (of Verne opposite the title page)


I.O.Evans dedicates the book: To the Memory of Jules Verne

The book contains an Acknowledgement, Preface and 26 page introduction by I. O. Evans, followed by excerpts from Jules Vernes works. The book ends with a bibliography by Kenneth Allott.

Each excerpt is prefaced and concluded by a note from I. O. Evans.

Excerpts included in the book are from (and in the following order):

  • A Journey to the Center of the Earth
  • From the Earth to the Moon
  • Round the Moon
  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
  • Dropped from the Clouds
  • Secret of the Island
  • The Child of the Cavern
  • Hector Servadac
  • The Begum's Fortune
  • The Steam House
  • The Clipper of the Clouds
  • The Floating Island
  • For the Flag
  • An Antarctic Mystery
  • Five Weeks in a Balloon

Uncredited notes on the dustjacket:
Though Jules Verne is rightly honoured as a pioneer of science fiction, his reputation now rests almost exclusively on a few of his best-known works. While these certainly rank among the classics of the art, they form only a small portion of his tremendous output. Many of his books are noteworthy for their striking and original themes, including intimations of the helicopter, guided missles, and an artifical satellite!
No selection from his work could omit his descriptions of the balloon
Victoria and the submarine Nautilus, of the Columbiad space-gun and its projectile, or of the perils awaiting the explorers of the extinct Icelandic volcano. Other lesser-known passages are also included here, notably his helicopter Albatross, his mechanical elephant, his artificial island, his immense cavern immediately below Loch Katrine, and his enigmatic Sphinx-like rock dominating the South Pole.
The compiler, who has long been a voracious reader of science fiction and is a life-long admirer of Verne, summarises the Master's work in his Introduction and discusses it critically.

I.O.E. wrote the Acknowledgements:
My thanks are due to Messrs. Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. for permission to quote so freely from their editions of Jules Verne's works, from which the great majority of the extracts are taken. The exceptions are the extracts from Five Weeks in a Balloon, A Journey into the Interior of the Earth, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, for which I am indebted respectively to Messrs. Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., Messrs Ward Lock & Co. Ltd., and Messrs. William Collins, Sons & Co. Ltd.

My thanks are also due for permission to quote shorter passages: from Boys Will be Boys to Mr. E. SA. Turner and Messrs. Michael Joseph Ltd.; from the introduction to his Scientific Romances to the executrix of the late Mr. H. G. Wells; from Miss Clemence Dane's broadcast to Miss Dane herself and to the British Broadcasting Corporation and to Messrs. The Cresset Press for permission to use the exhaustive and definitive bibliography compiled by Mr. Kenneth Allott and published in his book.

I am, moreover, indebted to the librarians and staffs of the Wandsworth, Westminster and Croydon Public Libraries for their co-operation in placing at my disposal the volumes from which I have quoted.

Finally, my thanks are abundantly due to Mr. Allott himself and to Madame Allotte de la Fuye for the two sources of information on Jules Verne's personal life as well as on his work; and to my Wife for invaluable help not only in the detailed work of preparing the manuscript but in selecting passages likely to be of greatest interest........I. O. E.

I.O.E. wrote the Preface:
My introduction to Jules Verne occurred in my childhood, when a
Journey to the Centre of the Earth was the only readable story in the highly specialized library of a village Sunday school. later I progressed to Round the Moon, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and other Verne masterpieces, as well as to H. G. Wells and Edgar Allan Poe. This juvenile reading had far-reaching effects on my life.

It was through interests that began in my early acquaintance with Verne that I have become a "Science-fiction addict", an amateur speleologist, a student of geology, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. His influence, too, has greatly affected my own literary work, for my historical stories for juvenile reading, in which appears a strong science-fictional interest, could, I am informed, be aptly described as "Henty crossed by Jules Verne".

I first learned of the so-called "pulp magazines" of the scientifiction school from my friend Mr. A. C. Garrad; in these I found, along with much "space opera", and abundance of really good work. And here, as in the later developments of science-fiction, so ably summarised by Miss Clemence Dane in her broadcast talk, I have been interested to trace the influence, along with that of Poe and Wells, of its pioneer and master, Jules Verne.

In spite of many recent developments, both in science-fiction and in the science on which it is based, several of Verne's works still live, not merely as classics of the art-form but as being as readable as ever: A Journey into the Interior of the Earth, the moon-voyage stories, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (as well as Round the World in Eighty Days, which is not science-fiction and so is not represented in this collection).

The bulk of his work has, however, largely dropped into oblibion, and this includes much that well repays reading. Not all of it was science-fictional; indeed, its greater part consists of "straight" adventure stories of exploration or travel from which strange inventions and gadgets are completely absent. Nor, indeed, are all his science-fiction stories included here; there are no quotations, for example, from The Purchase of the North Pole, or Master of the World. To my great regret I have been unable to quote from Verne's latest books, for these appear unobtainable, either in translation or in the original, and for this reason I could not, as I hoped, include the very last of his works, The Eternal Adam.

None the less the present selection will, I hope, be enough to show the breadth of his interests, the originality and versatility of his mind, his mastery of an adventurous sweep of narrative, and his powers of description. Except for a few minor alterations, of obvious copying errors or incorrect punctuation, I have adhered to the original translations, for the form in which Verne reached the English speaking world is part of his literary history.

Verne brought me much delight in a childhood that was not over-happy, has given me a wide variety of interests, and has been a source of pleasure time and again. If, by reviving interest in his lesser-known works, I can communicate any of that delight to others I shall be glad indeed........ I. O. E.


on page: Cover Images - 13
Jules Verne and His Work
1965
ARCO Publications
London

188 pages
with Verne photo portrait Frontice and 8 additional plates:

  • Jules Verne at 25
  • The 'Time Demon', from Master Zacharius
  • In free-fall, from Round the Moon
  • Jules Verne at the height of his career
  • 'The Steam House', from Tigers and Traitors
  • Aeronef versus aerostat, from Clipper in the Clouds
  • Jules Verne in October 1902
  • 'Onward to immortality and eternal youth'; Jules Verne's tomb at Amiens

original price 30s


Jules Verne and his Work
1966
Twayne Publishers
New York

188 pages


Jules Verne and His Work
1976
Aeonian Press
Mattituck, NY


In the Preface to this book I.O.Evans writes:

...I seek to discuss his stories just sufficiently to enable the reader to decide which of them is likely to enjoy, and to warn him off those which might disappoint him, for it cannot be denied that Verne over-wrote himself and produced some inferior stuff. I have tried to make the treatment I give each book roughly in proportion to its merits; where I deal with it at length the reader might wish to read it for himself, but where I dismiss it in a few sentences, he might, with a few exceptions, prefer to do the same....I. O. E.

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