DEFONTENAY, Charlemagne Ischir. Star or ? of Cassiopeia. - Lot 185

DEFONTENAY, Charlemagne Ischir. Star or ? of Cassiopeia. Extremely rare first edition of this pioneering science-fiction novel. Paris, Ledoyen, 1855 [1854]. In-8 paperback. 327 pp. mostly uncut. Spine browned, common foxing. Seine Colportage" stamp on title page. Curious science-fiction novel published in 1854 describing the fictional planet Star in both astronomical and civilizational terms, with poems and comedies "translated from Starian". A copy identical to the original 1854 edition, but curiously bearing the date 1855 on the cover and title page; no edition other than the original is known before 1972. This edition is all the rarer for having passed unnoticed at the time of its publication, only to be rediscovered by Raymond Queneau in the 1950s. Defontenay (1819-1856) was a pioneering doctor in the field of plastic surgery, and his science-fiction novel is an exceptional precursor of contemporary productions. In the preface, the author explains that he found two metal chests on the slopes of the Himalayas containing manuscripts, and translates them, describing a planet in a distant solar system, the civilizations that inhabit it and even an interplanetary federation. An extremely rare work, our copy is in fine condition.