Adventures in the Land of the Behemoth, by Jules Verne
2nd American Edition, Variant D
Published by Henry L. Shepard & Co.; Boston, 1874.
 
This novel by Jules Verne was originally published in 1872 under the title Adventures De Trois Russes Et De Trois Anglais Dans L'Afrique Australe. (Adventures of Three Russians and Three Englishmen in Southern Africa).   
 
The first American edition was published in 1873 by Scribner, Armstrong and Co., New York, and appeared under the title Meridiana or Adventures of Three Russians and Three Englishmen in South Africa.
Not to miss out on the Verne adventure, Boston publisher Henry L. Shepard published an unauthorized version a year later in 1874. The listing here is for one of those volumes appearing in binding Variant D.
Shepard changed the title and based his version's translation off of an 1872 UK edition published by Sampson Low and changed the title to Adventures in the Land of the Behemoth. The translation of Shepard's unauthorized 2nd American Edition varies from Scribner's First American Edition, making this volume both a physically beautiful book and a strikingly different adventure than the Scribner edition.
 
12mo. 7 10/16" x 5.5" Hardcover. Green cloth covered boards adorned with gold gilt, embossed green, and black blind stamping. The gilt and decor remain bright and beautifully presentable. Chocolate endpapers. 
 
Very Good Condition with a few noted flaws. 
Shelf wear around all edges, mainly light with heavier wear to the top of the spine (please see up close photo). Light bumping of book corners with small exposure of the board on the top corners.  The binding is very good. Inside, there are multiple places where a previous readers fingerprint smudges are noted, perhaps from placing coals on a fire to warm themselves while reading. 
Front tissue guard between the frontispiece and the title page is torn. Previous owner names in pencil.  Names are dated 1895, and 1951.
 
 
 
 
[Myers 39;  Tavers V009]