Tours of the World Around the World in 80 Days... Lot 4

[Tours of the World] Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. Illustrations by de Neuville and L. Benett. Paris, Bibliothèque d'Éducation et de Récréation, J. Hetzel et Cie, sd (ca 1877). Large single in-8°. Publisher's full carmine red paperback "with tulips" of the 2nd type. Spine with six boxes. No mention of the binder (probably Engel). Edges gilt. Lemon yellow endpapers. Printed by Gauthier-Villars. First illustrated edition. Covers previously restored. Tiny little accidents on the spine. Otherwise, a very nice and pleasant copy without foxing of this great Vernian novel hitherto unknown in the "tulip" cardboard of the 2nd type. Before the 1st Jacob Sale, we knew of only three titles in this variant of the 2nd type, De la Terre à la Lune, Autour de la Lune and Voyage au centre de la Terre, the first in red, the second in red and purple, the third in plum, each in one or two copies. In forty years of relentless collecting, Dr. Jacob has only managed to "unearth" a few copies of this extremely rare hardback (Eric Weissenberg had found only one over an equivalent period of time: Sale 1, lot n°142). Among them, the now "famous" Aventures de trois Russes et de trois Anglais de couleur prune (cf. 1st Jacob Sale n°105), its "brother", Une ville flottante (see lot n°25 of this sale) and Le Tour du Monde en 80 jours, the copy presented here. Let us recall that the only volume reproduced in the Jauzac was the one belonging to Eric Weissenberg and that, at that time, it was the only known title in this binding... So, do we need to insist on the very exceptional character of this volume, which we will not hesitate to assume to be unique!