Books

First edition in book form, launching "the most important lunar voyage in science-fiction; the first hard science-fiction novel with full recognition that the preparations for a moon voyage may be just as interesting as the lunar voyage itself. It is also one of the first lunar voyages written from the point of view of scientific adventure, rather than as personal satire or religious speculation" (Bleiler). The calculations in the work, such as the escape velocity required to leave Earth's orbit, were produced with the assistance of the mathematicians Henri Garcet (a cousin of Verne) and Joseph Bertrand. Verne's scientific ideas inspired Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a father of astronautics who envisioned multistage rockets as a feasible alternative to the large cannon or "space gun" design he encountered in the story. Just over a century after its publication, the tale was cited by Neil Armstrong during his own lunar voyage on Apollo 11. The work was also famously adapted by Georges Méliès for the film A Trip to the Moon (1902). This copy is from the first or second printing, only distinguished by the original wrappers; both have the errata leaf and the 17-page publisher's advertisements at end. The story was initially serialized in Journal des Débats politiques et littéraires from 14 September to 14 October 1865. Verne wrote a sequel fours years later as Autour de la Lune, which continues the story from lunar orbit to the return journey back to Earth. Duodecimo (174 x 109 mm). Contemporary green quarter cloth, spine lettered in gilt and ruled in blind, marbled sides and endpapers, green tips, edges sprinkled. With half-title, errata leaf, and publisher's fly-title preceding their 17-page adverts, as called for. Sporadic foxing to contents. A very good copy. Bleiler 2230.

From the Earth to the Moon is a classic science fiction novel by Jules Verne, published in 1865. The story tells of the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-American Civil War society of weapons enthusiasts, and their attempts to build an enormous space gun to launch three people—the Gun Club's president, his Philadelphian armor-making rival, and a French poet—towards the Moon.