The Martian George Du Maurier 1898 First Edition Illustrated
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
The Martian: A Novel
George Du Maurier
London: Harper & Brothers, 45 Albemarle Street, W., 1898.
Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co., Edinburgh & London.
First British Edition, 1898.
Octavo. viii, 471 pages, plus 4 pages of publisher's advertisements. Illustrated by the author, with a frontispiece portrait of George Du Maurier from a photograph by Barrauds, protected by a tissue guard, together with numerous illustrations throughout the text.
This is the First British Edition in book form. An American edition had appeared from Harper & Brothers in New York in 1897, making "First British Edition" the most bibliographically precise description for this 1898 London issue.
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
The Martian was George Du Maurier's final novel and was published posthumously, following his death in October 1896. The work had originally appeared serially in Harper's Monthly Magazine between October 1896 and July 1897 before being published in book form.
The novel is substantially autobiographical and follows Barty Josselin, as narrated by his friend Robert Maurice. The story begins with their schooldays in Paris in the 1850s and follows Barty through adulthood, including his artistic and literary ambitions, failing eyesight, travels and relationships.
The title takes its name from the supernatural element of the story. Barty encounters the spirit of Martia, a female spirit from Mars who becomes an important influence upon his life. This combination of autobiography, romance and supernatural fantasy has also given the novel a place in the history of early fantastic and science-fiction literature. Specialist bibliographical sources cite The Martian in the major reference works for early fantastic literature.
The book is especially appealing to collectors because Du Maurier both wrote and illustrated it himself. His drawings form an integral part of the work rather than being merely decorative additions, providing a direct connection between his literary and artistic careers.
 
About the Author
George Louis Palmella Busson Du Maurier (1834–1896) was a Franco-British artist, illustrator and novelist, best known for his influential work for Punch and for the novels Trilby, Peter Ibbetson and The Martian.
His career combined visual satire with literature. His illustrations for Punch made him one of the best-known caricaturists of the Victorian period, while Trilby became an international bestseller and introduced the character Svengali into popular culture.
Du Maurier died before The Martian was published in book form, making this 1898 First British Edition a posthumous publication and an important part of his literary bibliography.
 
About the Illustrator
George Du Maurier illustrated the novel himself.
His illustrations are particularly significant because Du Maurier was an accomplished professional artist as well as a novelist. The illustrations throughout The Martian reflect the characteristic draughtsmanship and observational quality associated with his work for Punch, while also supporting the autobiographical and romantic elements of the narrative.
The volume opens with a portrait of Du Maurier from a photograph by Barrauds, protected by its original tissue guard.
 
Binding & Exterior Description
The book is attractively bound in the publisher's original blue cloth, with gilt lettering to the front board and spine and a gilt pictorial design to the upper board.
The blue cloth remains particularly vibrant, while the gilt decoration retains good brightness. There is only light cosmetic wear commensurate with age, including small areas of fading, light rubbing to the board and spine edges, light bumping and rubbing to the corners, a few light marks and very slight discolouration to the spine.
The binding remains intact and robust, with good shelf appeal.
The top edge is gilt, while the other edges remain untrimmed/roughly cut, as is characteristic of the period.
 
Interior Condition
The contents are complete, with all pages and illustrations present and checked.
The pages remain remarkably bright for a book of this age and are only lightly tanned. There is light foxing principally around the page edges, with very occasional small marks or very light creasing within the text. These do not affect readability or the illustrations.
The side and lower edges are roughly cut, with occasional small edge irregularities associated with the original production of the volume. These do not affect the printed text or illustrations.
The frontispiece portrait of Du Maurier retains its original tissue guard.
There are no ownership inscriptions, annotations or other writing in the book.
The pages remain secure throughout. There are light gutter cracks between a handful of pages, including the photographed opening between pp. 288 and 289, but these do not compromise the structural integrity of the binding.
There are no missing pages or other significant losses.
 
Physical Details
Pagination: viii, 471 pages, plus 4 pages of publisher's advertisements
Illustrations: Illustrated by George Du Maurier, including frontispiece portrait
Dimensions: approximately 19.8 × 15.6 × 3.5 cm
Weight: approximately 887 g
Dust Jacket: None
Binding: Original blue cloth with gilt decoration and top edge gilt