La Chasse au Météore – Jules Verne Cover Art by George Roux, c.1908
Before you stands the original cover illustration for Jules Verne's posthumously published novel 'La Chasse au Météore,' rendered by the prolific Verne illustrator George Roux. A blazing meteor dominates the sky above a panicked crowd flooding the streets of a small town, flanked by observatory towers silhouetted against the supernatural glow. Inset vignettes at the corners and base depict scientists and telegraphers — the human drama of discovery framed in the ornate compositional style of late Belle Époque French book design.
The composition is ambitious and dramatically staged, with the blazing meteor and fleeing masses achieving genuine spectacle. However, the restrained Belle Époque engraving style keeps it measured and literary rather than sensationalist, placing it firmly in the sophisticated Hetzel tradition rather than true pulp chaos.
“LA CHASSE AU MÉTÉORE JULES VERNE”
