# Is "A Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Jules Verne a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne (Griffith & Farran, 1871) is identified by: The first English-language edition was published by Griffith & Farran, London, for the Christmas trade in November 1871, though the title page is dated 1872 in Roman numerals (MDCCCLXXII) - the only British Verne first edition dated this way. First English-language edition; the text is a loose adaptation rather than a faithful translation of Voyage au centre de la Terre.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first English-language edition was published by Griffith & Farran, London, for the Christmas trade in November 1871, though the title page is dated 1872 in Roman numerals (MDCCCLXXII) - the only British Verne first edition dated this way
- It is bound in original pictorial cloth titled and decorated in gilt, illustrated with 52 wood engravings by Riou
- The genuine first-issue frontispiece is 'The Descent of the Crater'; because this plate was tipped in as the frontispiece rather than falling in its normal place in the text, it creates a break in the pagination, whereas later Griffith & Farran printings substitute 'The Central Sea' as frontispiece instead
- This edition is a free adaptation rather than a literal translation, renaming the narrator Axel as 'Harry' and Professor Lidenbrock as 'Hardwigg.'
- Publisher imprint reads Griffith & Farran
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jules Verne |
| Publisher | Griffith & Farran |
| Year | 1871 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first English-language edition was published by Griffith & Farran, London, for the Christmas trade in November 1871, though the title… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The first English-language edition was published by Griffith & Farran, London, for the Christmas trade in November 1871, though the title page is dated 1872 in Roman numerals (MDCCCLXXII) - the only British Verne first edition dated this way. It is bound in original pictorial cloth titled and decorated in gilt, illustrated with 52 wood engravings by Riou. The genuine first-issue frontispiece is 'The Descent of the Crater'; because this plate was tipped in as the frontispiece rather than falling in its normal place in the text, it creates a break in the pagination, whereas later Griffith & Farran printings substitute 'The Central Sea' as frontispiece instead. This edition is a free adaptation rather than a literal translation, renaming the narrator Axel as 'Harry' and Professor Lidenbrock as 'Hardwigg.'

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition; the text is a loose adaptation rather than a faithful translation of Voyage au centre de la Terre.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Any copy with 'The Central Sea' as frontispiece (rather than 'The Descent of the Crater,' with its accompanying pagination break) is a later Griffith & Farran printing, not the true first issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Journey to the Centre of the Earth* by Jules Verne a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-journey-to-the-centre-of-the-earth
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.