A Journey to the Earth's Interior, Or, Have the Poles Really Been Discovered.
Aurora, Illinois: Privately published, 1920. Revised and Enlarged edition. Hardcover. Octavo. 456pp. Original maroon cloth with gilt lettering to spine and upper board, blind sun / map device to upper board, b&w frontis and illustrations, bibliography. One of the central works of the "hollow earth" canon. In it the author Marshall Blutcher Gardner (1854 - 1937) expounds a theory that the earth was hollow, with an interior sun at its centre, and that the great interior could be accessed through the poles. It was obviously essential to this theory that the poles had not really been reached, and thus Gardner devotes considerable effort to refuting the claims made about them by polar explorers ad geographers. He also includes a charming account, somewhat reminiscent of the fantasies of Jules Verne, of how he envisaged a journey to the earth's interior might take place and what might be encountered. Gardner's book was first published in 1913, this second edition was very substantially revised, including answers to many questions that were raised with regard to the theories he espoused in the first edition. Spine slightly darkened, several dark spots on lower rear board, page edges a bit darkened, bookplate on front pastedown, front endpapers cracked at gutter but hinge solid, pages lightly toned, no marks to text. Overall a tight, clean better than VG copy (no dust jacket). Item #63282
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