Jules Verne - De la terre a la lune. Trajet direct en 97 heures et 20 minutes [...] suivi de Autour de la lune [...]. Les Voyages Extraordinaires.

Jules Verne - De la terre a la lune. Trajet direct en 97 heures et 20 minutes [...] suivi de Autour de la lune [...]. Les Voyages Extraordinaires - Paris - Bibliothèque d'Education et de Récréation J. Hetzel et Cie. - [1875] - Later edition - [8], [172]; [4], 180 pp - Half cloth binding - 18,5 x 26,5 cm.

Condition: Fragile - with wear and rust stains. Old water stain in the back. Rebound at some point, probably already in the 19th century, while retaining the original cover.

Adventure novel by the great French writer and father of Science Fiction Jules Verne (1828-1905) about a journey to the Moon; two parts in one volume. Illustrated with engraved title pages and resp. 41 and 44 black and white prints by De Montaut, Emile Bayard and A. de Neuville ("Gravés par Hildibrand"). With table of contents. Text in French.

¶ "[Verne was] the grandfather of astronautics. He correctly understood the operation of rockets in the vacuum of space and was the first to suggest their use. Verne chose a site for his launch in Florida that is only 137 miles from Cape Canaveral. This was no coincidence; Verne chose this site for at least one of the same reasons NASA did" - Cf. Miller, The Dream Machines p. 53 ff.; Blueprint for Space p. 51 ff.; Nicolson, Voyages to the Moon p. 243 ff.; Bottin p.170.