DE MILLE, James "A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder" [1888] 1st Edition

[DE MILLE, James]. A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder.

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1888. First edition. 7.5" x 5.25", viii + 291pp with 19 illustrations by Gilbert Gaul. Blue cloth with gilt titling and a silver-stamped boat on front cover, as well as a gilt/silver/reddish brown sea creature on the spine. Binding slightly cocked for worked, head/tail of spine cloth rubbed, one inch stripe of cloth on righthand of front cover rubbed, and some minor spotting noted in text. Good+.

A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder is an early example of lost-world and speculative fiction, blending adventure with philosophical and utopian themes. Its narrative, which follows explorers discovering a hidden civilization, helped pave the way for later authors such as H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs. The novel’s combination of exotic settings, social commentary, and imaginative world-building marks it as a significant precursor to modern science fiction and fantasy.