NORTH AGAINST SOUTH. A Tale of the American Civil War

1888. With Numerous Illustrations. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1888. Original blue-grey cloth pictorially decorated in black and red, all page edges gilt.

First British Edition of this adventure tale taking place during the American Civil War. This is the tale of the antagonism between Burbank (an anti-slavery Northerner now living near Jacksonville, Florida) and Texar (a pro-slavery Southerner); Texar winds up kidnapping Burbank's daughter and hiding her in the Everglades, and Burbank heads off in search of his daughter -- all as the Civil War rages around them. NORD CONTRE SUD came out in France in 1887, and by the end of the summer of that year the American pirate publisher George Munro came out with TEXAR'S VENGEANCE in his wrappered Seaside Library. In November 1887, Rand McNally published a hardbound American edition (a different translation) titled TEXAR'S REVENGE. Then this British edition, hardbound and illustrated and the same translation as Rand McNally's, came out in December 1887 (though dated 1888). These were soon followed by Worthington's (New York) 1888 edition of TEXAR'S REVENGE. The book did not get good reviews in America: the New York Daily Tribune wrote, [In Jules Verne's] story of "Texar"... a very thin streak of narrative is padded to almost unwieldy proportions by a quantity of remarkably inaccurate information about the rebellion. If anyone thought the game worth the candle it would be easy to point out the various comical inaccuracies in the historical part of the story... [quoted in T&M] This copy is in the deluxe binding style, with all edges gilt; its condition is very good -- spine a bit sunned as always, volume slightly askew. This is a Verne title that we seldom see. Taves & Michaluk V033.