A Journey to the World Under-Ground (Niels Klim's Underground Travels)
London: T. Astley and B. Collins, 1742.
First British edition and first in English as well, anonymously translated. [iv], 324 pp. Bound in modern calf with raised bands, gilt stamping, morocco spine labels, marbled endpapers. Very Good, edges soiled, toning along edges of title page, ink stain there as well, two ink spots along fore edge; page gatherings towards rear proud. Former owner's elaborate ink signature to rear endpaper, one John Brownjohn, dated 1769. A satirical Dutch novel about one man's journey into a subterranean planet called Nazar and the strange customs of inhabitants there. One of the first Hollow Earth-themed novels and an early example of science fiction. It would be referenced by Edgar Allan Poe in "The Fall of the House of Usher." Bleiler 1114; Anatomy of Wonder, II-536.
Price: $2,750