Estimate: (USD 350 - USD 400).

The book: A handsome 1883 third English edition of Jules Verne’s The Tribulations of a Chinaman, first published in French as Les Tribulations d’un Chinois en Chine (1879). One of Verne’s most spirited adventure novels, it tells the story of Kin-Fo, a wealthy and bored Chinese gentleman who, believing himself ruined, contracts a friend to kill him—only to discover that his fortune has been restored, leading him on a desperate quest to save his own life.

Combining satirical humor, exotic adventure, and existential reflection, this novel stands among Verne’s more philosophically playful works, exploring the absurdities of wealth, fate, and human folly through a distinctly cosmopolitan lens. The English translation by Ellen E. Frewer was one of the earliest and remains a cornerstone of Verne’s introduction to Victorian readers.

The Author: Jules Gabriel Verne (1828–1905), the French master of adventure and scientific imagination, is celebrated as the father of modern science fiction. His novels, blending travel, technology, and the human spirit of discovery, have inspired generations of readers and writers alike. The Tribulations of a Chinaman represents a lighter, more ironic side of Verne’s genius, set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century China and the global fascination with the East.

The Illustrator: Léon Benett (1839–1917), one of Verne’s most frequent collaborators, illustrated over twenty of his novels. His engravings are noted for their narrative vigor and detailed ethnographic depictions, bringing Verne’s imaginative geographies vividly to life. In this volume, his dramatic sea and interior scenes capture both the humor and tension of Kin-Fo’s tribulations.