The Floating Island by Jules Verne first English edition 1896

VERNE, Jules. The Floating Island; or, The Pearl of the Pacific. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1896.
 
First English edition. Octavo. vii, 382pp. With 79 full-page illustrations. Publisher's original pictorial cloth with elaborate gilt and colour blocking to the upper board and spine, bevelled edges, patterned endpapers and all edges gilt.
 
Very Good. Cloth bright and attractive with only light rubbing and wear at the extremities. Inner hinges cracked with webbing exposed at front and rear, but the binding remains firm and the book is holding well. Contents generally clean and sound, with all illustrations present.
 
A tidy example of the first English edition of Verne's adventure novel, originally published in France as L'Ile a helice. The story follows a French string quartet who find themselves aboard Standard Island, an enormous artificial floating city travelling through the Pacific. The elaborate pictorial binding is one of the most attractive of the English Verne first editions, combining a panoramic view of the floating island with gilt, green and blue decoration across the upper board and spine.