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Bibliographies

When I first began collecting the books of Jules Verne in the late 1960's, there wasn't much in the way of bibliographic material, at least for English editions of his books. One mainly had to rely on Publishers Catalogues, Library Listings, Booksellers Catalogues or the occasional Bibliography at the back of a Biography or book by Verne. In most cases, these were simply lists of books written by Jules Verne with their general publication date, and rarely attempted to indicate what books would be considered a first edition.

Below I indicate which are the best bibliographies to use, and their publication details. I have included French as well as English bibliographies, as well as a bibliography of Jules Verne's English translations.


Essential Bibliographies

French
1978

View the Cover
Bibliographie
des Editions Illustrées
des Voyages extraordinaires
de Jules Verne
en Cartonages d'Editeur de la
Collection Hetzel
1978
Chez l'auteur
Contes
par:
André Bottin

The Cornerstone French bibliography.

In 1978, André Bottin had published (Chez l'auteur) Bibliographie des Editions Illustrées des Voyages Extraordinaires de Jules Verne en Cartonnages d'Editeur de la Collection Hetzel. This massive volume, attempts to list all the various Hetzel editions, with specific printing information and title page variations, as well as an indication of the cover design. This book is still quoted today to confirm the various editions from the publisher Jules Hetzel. The book was issued in a limited edition of 1040, comprised of 1000 examples numbered 1 to 1000 and 40 examples numbered I to XL.

My copy is number 217, purchased in 1978 from Librairie des Alpes
Later in my trip, I attended a lecture given by M. Bottin in Nice.

Collection Andrew Nash

French
2005
Jules Verne
Hetzel et les cartonnages illustrés
2005
Les Éditions de l'Amateur
Ginoux
ISBN 2-85917-414-1
par:
Philippe Jauzac, avec la collaboration d'Éric Weissenberg

I am not a Hetzel expert, but this large book may have eclipsed the Bottin as THE book to have for identifying the various Hetzel editions of Jules Verne. There are numerous (hundreds!) of images to go along with the text, describing the different bindings of LES VOYAGES EXTRAORDINAIRES.

Collection Andrew Nash

English
1996

View the Cover
Jules Verne Encyclopedia
1996
The Scarecrow Press Inc.,
Lanham, Md., & London
ISBN 0-8108-2961-4
by:
Brian Taves and Stephen Michaluk, jr.

The latest addition to the bibliographies of Jules Verne is the book The Jules Verne Encyclopedia, by Brian Taves and Stephen Michaluk, jr. Unlike the other books mentioned (except Dr Ox ...) this book is not a bibliography. It is a collection of information about Jules Verne, his books, his life, his influence .

There is a bibliographic chapter entitled "Jules Verne: American and British Editions." This chapter, along with a very useful "Title Cross Reference" attempts to trace the various editions of each Jules Verne book through Library of Congress entries, copyright information and publication information that Brian and Stephen spent years collecting. The reference numbers associated with each Verne book, is being used by booksellers now, to identify a books information. Unlike the Myers bibliography, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a book that they indicate as being copyrighted in a certain year was published in that year (or even published at all). The listing though, is very complete and one of the interesting features of the bibliography, is its use of the first couple sentences of a book, to help the collector in identifying the various translations of a book!

This book may still be available, and would be a fine addition to any collectors library.

Collection Andrew Nash

English
1989
View the Cover

2004

Jules Verne: A Bibliography
A Bibiliography
of First Printings of the Writings of
Jules Verne
in the English Language Together
with Information on Numerous
Reprints, and a Key to Title Interpretation

1989
Country Lane Books
New Hartford, Connecticut

The next English bibliography in importance, and a fine one it was, is Jules Verne A Bibliography, by Edward and Judith Myers, published in 1989 by Country Lane Books (this is the name of the Antique Bookstore that Edward and Judith Myers run). The first printing was limited to 500 editions. (they were not numbered)This was the first true Bibliography to First Editions, and is still a cornerstone today.The more complete title of this book, gives you an idea of its usefulness: A Bibliography of First Printings of the Writings of Jules Verne in the English Language together with Information on Numerous Reprints, and a Key to Title Interpretation. This book for many years has held the position of THE reference for English language Jules Verne First Editions. Drawing upon their access to early editions of Verne's works because of the flow of antique books through their book store, and the help of Jules Verne book collectors, as well as assistance from the Library of Congress and the Lily Library, the Myers have put together a surprisingly small (only 73 pages), but complete listing of first and later editions. Yes, there are some entries that need corrections or additions, but this is still the book to refer to. Booksellers will often quote Myers as proof of their research of a particular publisher or binding.

Editors Note: I was a customer of Country Lane Books in the 70's and 80's and bought many of my 1st Editions from them. My only regret is not having enough money to buy every volume they were selling. I would pour over every catalog, and decide which volumes I could afford, and then keep my fingers crossed that the volume was still unsold. Later I found out that other founding members of the North American Jules Verne Society were also buying from Edward Myers.....darn competition!

Collection Andrew Nash

NOTE: This book was republished in 2004 as:

Jules Verne
A Collector's Bibliography
of First Editions & Printings in English

by Edward and Judith Myers
New edition: revised and updated in 2004
by Edward Myers
with Gretchen Roberts & Renée M. Roberts, Ph.D.
Clock & Rose Press,
Harwich Port, Cape Cod
ISBN 1-59386-026-9

Published in a limited edition of 500 numbered copies.It is a hard cover edition, with a dustjacket. It includes, in a pocket in the back of the book, a pamphlet called: Representative Covers, which shows, in colour, 19 covers of Jules Verne 1st editions (courtesy of Sumner & Stillman it turns out !) If you do find this book, you may find that it is very expensive! (especially compared to the original editions publication price)

My book is number 158

Collection Andrew Nash

Index to best English Translations

(not a bibliography, but an essential English reference)

English
2005

A Bibliography of Jules Verne's English Translations
Science Fiction Studies
#95 = Volume 32, Part 1 = March 2005 - $12.00
ISSN No. 0091-7729

This publication is a commemoration of the centenary of the death of Jules Verne. There are numerous articles in this edition on Jules Verne and his works, but the article of MAIN interest to Jules Verne "readers" is the article on page 105, A Bibliography of Jules Verne's English Translations, by Arthur B. Evans. In this article, Arthur B Evans, identifies the different translations of each title by Jules Verne, and rates them on their accuracy.

If you want to know which version of a Jules Verne book to read so you get the most accurate translation, this article is ESSENTIAL. It will warn you away from the shoddy, inaccurate, abridged translations that abound out there.

Here is a large image of the cover, showing the index to the volume:

Collection Andrew Nash

Other Bibliographies

English
1967
View the Cover
Dr Ox's Experiment, Bibiliography Appendix
1967
MacMillan and Company
New York

Maybe this should not be included, but it is a sentimental favourite of mine....AN

One of the best bibliographies that I came across early in my collecting career, was published in the back of Dr Ox's Experiment, published by Macmillan and Company, New York, in 1967. This was a very unique book from all aspects. The hardcover book, with dust jacket, included a biographical introduction by Professor Willy Ley, an Epilogue by Dr. Hubertus Strughold, and was illustrated by William Pène du Bois (Note: the bibliography was written by Professor Ley.).

The book's most unique feature though, was that it was printed "sideways". In other words, if you take a regular hardcover book, rotate it 90° counter-clockwise, and open the book by pulling the front cover down toward you, that is how the book was printed - i.e. title page, publishers details, biography, text of the story, epilogue, bibliography, and all illustrations sideways!
The bibliography at the back of Dr Ox's Experiment lists the French title and the first publication date in French, as well as the title and first English publication date (where known). Along the side of the bibliography, are illustrations taken from the Hetzel editions of Jules Verne's books. Though a bit sparse, this was a very useful bibliography that also included a list of biographies of Jules Verne. I used this book extensively in my early days of collecting

Collection Andrew Nash

French
1977

View the Cover
Bibliographie Analytique
de Toutes les Oeuvres
de Jules Verne: I
Oeuvres Romanesques Publiées

1977
Société Jules Verne
Paris
par:
Piero Gondollo della RivaFor collectors of French editions of Verne books, 1977 and 1978 were good years. In 1977 the book Bibliographie Analytique de Toutes les Oeuvres de Jules Verne: I - Oeuvres Romanesques Publiées by Piero Gondolo della Riva was published. This small paperback book was issued in a numbered limited edition of 1000 examples and was published by the Société Jules Verne, Paris. For each Verne title, it lists "Les Editions Préoriginales" (usually the book or story in serial form in Musée de Familles, Magasin d'Education et de Récréation, Journal des Débats, Le Temps, Le Soleil or Le Journal), "Les Editions Originales", and finally "Les Editions Gr. in-8°" (the famous illustrated Hetzel editions).My copy is number 737 and was autographed by Piero when I met him in Toronto in 1984

Collection Andrew Nash

French
1985

View the Cover
Bibliographie Analytique
de Toutes les Oeuvres
de Jules Verne: II
Oeuvres Non Romanesques Publiées
et Oeuvres Inédites

1985
Société Jules Verne
Paris
par
Piero Gondollo della RivaPiero Gondolo della Riva followed up his 1977 volume I, with his 1985 volume Bibliographie Analytique de Toutes les Oeuvres de Jules Verne: II - Oeuvres non Romanesques Publiées et Oeuvres Inédites, also published by the Société Jules Verne, Paris. This book continues where the first volume left off, listing the first editions of Verne's non-fiction books, stories, and plays along with other listings. This book is a limited edition of 1000 numbered copies, plus some editions simply bearing the author's signature.My copy is not numbered but "signed by the author". I first became "published", when Piero Gondolo della Riva, included an entry in this book (page 132, entry no. 175), of an article by Jules Verne, that I found in Popular Mechanics magazine,
Future of the Submarine.

Collection Andrew Nash

French
1978
Bibliographie documentaire
1978
Chez l'Auteur
Ostermundigen, Switzerland
par:
Jean-Michel Margot

This useful bibliographie (with numerous editions) lists the publications about Jules Verne and it makes these very accessible by identifying them by Keyword, Author, and Publication by Date.

Collection Andrew Nash

French
1989
Bibliographie documentaire sur Jules Verne
1989
Centre de Documentation Jules Verne
Amiens

par Jean-Michel Margot

This useful bibliographie lists the publications about Jules Verne and it makes these very accessible by identifying them by Keyword, Author, and Publication by Date.

300 Examples: mine is No. 26

Collection Andrew Nash

English
1980

View the Cover
Jules Verne: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography
1980
G.K.Hall&Co.
Boston, Mass
by:
Edward J. Gallagher, Judith A Mistichelli, John A. Van EerdeEnglish Jules Verne collectors had to wait until 1980 before the first serious bibliography was issued. Jules Verne: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography, by Edward J. Gallagher, Judith A. Mistichelli and John A. Van Eerde, was published by G. K. Hall & Co., Boston. The following description is taken from the Preface to this volume: "Jules Verne: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography is a bibliography of fiction and non-fiction by Jules Verne and of English and French criticism about him. The bibliography is divided into five sections. Parts A, B, and C list published fiction and non-fiction by Verne (novels, short stories, plays, poems, songs, essays, geographical and historical works, letters, introductions, and speeches), while parts D and E provide annotated lists of English language and French language criticism ... To facilitate use of the bibliography, there is an index to Verne's works and an author-title-subject index to the criticism." This book has come under criticism for errors, and incompleteness, but I have to say that I have found it very useful, and a book of this type was a long time coming. Remember, this is the first Bibliography that we (I) had to work with, instead of using the appendix of Dr Ox's Experiment (above). The listing of "criticism" is very fascinating and provides a place to start when one wants to find articles on Verne. I carried on a correspondence with Edward Gallagher for a while after this bibliography's publication, and it was through him, that I made my first contact with Piero Gondolo della Riva.

Collection Andrew Nash

English
1996

Firsts: The Book Collector's Magazine
Jules Verne Special

Volume 6, Number 7/8, July/August, 1996

Firsts magazine decidated this issue to collecting Jules Verne books. The issue is full of images and articles on collecting Jules Verne books.

The contents included:

  • Jules Verne: The Lasting Appeal of Past Futurism, by Lee Biondi
  • Collecting Jules Verne: Confessions of a Completist, by Arthur B. Edwards (first President of the North American Jules Verne Society Inc., and foremost collector of Jules Verne books in the English Language)
  • Jules Verne: A Checklist
  • Looking at the Centre of the Earth, by Robin H. Smiley
  • A Collector's Guide to Publishers - James R. Osgood and Company
  • Books into Film - Around the World in 80 Days
  • Update: Collectible Books - The Jules Verne Encyclopedia, a review by Lee Biondi

This issue of this magazine for Book Collectors is indispensible for identifying Verne First Editions as well as providing valuable information on other editions. The article by Arthur Edwards is very informative.

Collection Andrew Nash

English
1997

Sumner and Stillman
Store Catalog
Catalog 80
1997

It may seem strange to see a booksellers catalogue listed under bibliographies but this one is special. Catalogue Eighty, published by Sumner & Stillman of Yarmouth Maine in November 1997, is a catalogue and sale dedicated completely to the works of Jules Verne. 83 separate books were for sale ranging in price from $125 US to $12,000 US. The catalogue goes above and beyond when describing the books. Utilizing the Jules Verne Encyclopedia for publication information and as well for determining the order of the books in the catalogue, each entry has a full description. It also has numerous black and white photos of many of the books. (Catalogue Eighty-Six also contained numerous Jules Verne books)

Sumner and Stillman have become the foremost seller of pristine 1st English editions around.

Collection Andrew Nash


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