France 1979 - Tourism Series (Part 7)

It was the product of an inherited fortune. It employed an architect so obsessed with perfection, he razed whole sections of the building to the ground if they didn't meet with the approval  of his hyper-critical eye. From the time of its construction in 1630 till 1905 when it was purchased by the state, it passed through the hands of no less than seven different families. It was even visited by Louis XIV in April 1651.

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The Château de Maisons, which is now called Château de Maisons-Laffitte, is located in Maisons-Laffitte, a northwestern suburb of Paris, in the department of Yvelines, Île-de-France. Construction of the château was commissioned in 1630 by René de Longueil using the funds from a fortune inherited by his wife, Madeleine Boulenc de Crévecœur, who died six years later in 1636, never to see the fruits of her inheritance. By 1651 the château was complete, and it was in this year that it played host to King Louis XIV in April.

The Château de Maisons was designed by François Mansart in the French baroque architectural style. According to a pamphlet entitled, La Mansarade, the architect realised, after completing the construction of the first floor of the château, that he had committed an error in the plans  So in a ludicrously egocentric move, he apparently razed everything built so far to the ground in order to start afresh! A tall tale? Who knows. But it certainly makes for a compelling story.

René de Longueil died in 1677, and the château remained in his family until 1732. Between that date and 1905 it passed through the hands of no less than seven families. Too many to list here. For a full history of the château, click HERE. In 1905, the State purchased the château in order to save it from demolition. Then in 1914 it was deemed an historical monument. 

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On 9 July, 1979, France issued a set of seven stamps in their ongoing Tourism series. To read the previous six parts, simply click on the relevant link. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. In this blog I'll take a close look at the final stamp in this series, the 0,45 value. This stamp depicts the Château de Maisons, which is now called Château de Maisons-Laffitte. This stamp was designed and engraved by Pierre Forget. Contrary to the stamp depicting an architectural monument that I studied in Part 6, I think this one is a true stunner. A far  more interesting and visually appealing design than the stamp shown in Part 6. But that's just my humble opinion.

This stamp has, in my eyes, a somewhat Decaris-esque quality. If compared to Decaris' 1946 Luxembourg Palace design, we can see a marked similarity of line style.

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Indeed, even the 1948 Saarland architectural stamp by Decaris bears some similarity, I feel.

Until next time...

France 1979 - Tourism Series (Part 4)

Ever wondered what a stamp would look like as a playing card? This is a question French stamp engraver and designer, Pierre Forget, set out to answer in 1979 to commemorate Norman abbeys. Two abbeys were chosen for this cutting edge stamp design: the Abbey of St-Pierre-sur-Dives and Bernay Abbey. Without further ado, let us delve...

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Its stunning towers loom large over the sleepy town of St-Pierre-sur-Dives. The Abbey of St-Pierre-sur-Dives, Abbaye Saint-Pierre sur Dives, was founded in the 11th century by Countess Lesceline, who happened to be the great-aunt of William the Conqueror. It was originally built to house a community of nuns. At some point over the course of the next century, the nuns were replaced by Benedictine monks from the Abbey of the Holy Trinity in Rouen. The abbey as it stands today is very different from its original design. It was rebuilt between the 13th and 15th centuries, during a time known as the Gothic period. Having said this, the church still contains the tomb of its founder, Countess Lesceline.

Bernay Abbey, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Bernay was founded in the 11th century by Judith of Brittany. Judith was the daughter of Conan I of Rennes and wife of Richard II, Duke of Normandy. The original design was ahead of its time, being one of the first examples of Romanesque architecture in Normandy. The church was listed as an historic monument in 1862.

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On 9 July, 1979, France issued a set of seven stamps in their ongoing Tourism series. To read the previous three parts, simply click on the relevant link. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. In this blog I'll take a close look at the 1,00 stamp, which depicts both Abbey of St-Pierre-sur-Dives and Bernay Abbey in a funky playing card style. This stamp was designed and engraved by Pierre Forget. 

This stamp is truly fantastic. The top half commemorates Abbey St-Pierre-sur-Dives. At the bottom of the stamp, in the inverted style of a playing card graphic, is a representation of Barney Abbey. Aside from the glorious engravings of the church interiors, this stamp has a couple of other interesting features. If you look to the top right, you will come across this...

Forget has ingeniously added the letter N for Normandy in theform of a vault in the ceiling. Below this we see the letters AA forming a cross with a Cross of the Abbey,. The AA stands for A year of Abbeys. Pretty cool.

Until next time...

Monaco 1977 - The Career of a Navigator 1st Issue (Part 2)

Oceanography is: "a science that deals with the oceans and includes the delimitation of their extent and depth, the physics and chemistry of their waters, marine biology, and the exploitation of their resource" (Meriam-Webster.com).

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In last week's blog we were introduced to Prince Albert I of Monaco, a trail-blazer in the field of oceanography. His contributions to this discipline and his career as a navigator were celebrated in a sumptuous series of 18 stamps, issued in two sets of nine in 1977.

One of Prince Albert's crowning achievements was the founding of the Oceanographic Institute in 1906. One part of the institute is the Monaco Oceanographic Museum, located in Monaco-ville. The museum is a  stunning piece of architecture in the baroque revival style. It was built into the side of a cliff face overlooking the ocean, and it took workers some eleven years to complete.

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The museum was inaugurated in 1910 by Prince Albert I. In looking up the history of the museum, I was surprised to discover that the great Jacques Cousteau was the director of the museum from 1957 to 1988. I recall watching Mr Cousteau on TV as a kid. The singer/songwriter John Denver wrote a song dedicated to him, called Calypso, which was the name of Cousteau's boat. The museum is also known as the Jacques Cousteau Museum.

The museum is home to a large variety of sea fauna such as starfish, turtles, sea urchins ,jellyfish, crabs, sharks, lobsters and many more sea critters. There are even some skeletons!

It is also home to an amazing octopus sculpture.

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In 1902 Albert I published a book La Carriere d'un Navigateur (The Career of a Navigator), which documents his adventurous life at sea. On 3 May 1977, the 75th anniversary of the publication of his magnum opus, Monaco issued a glorious set of 18 stamps, issued in two sets of nine, honouring the Prince's achievements. To engrave this mammoth issue, a stellar cast of French engravers was enlisted: Pierre Gandon, Claude Haley, Michel Monvoisin, George Betemps, and Pierre Forget. This set was created based on illustrations by the French illustrator Louis Tinayre (14 March 1861-26 September 1942).

Last week we kicked off by studying the first four stamps in this first series. This week we will study the last five stamps in this series. And they are truly gorgeous. Maintenant examinons les timbres!

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The 1f stamp was designed and engraved by Georges Betemps. It features a night-watch helmsman at the wheel of one of Prince Albert's yachts, perhaps l'hirondelle. I love this stamp. The depths of the darkness give it a sense of brooding mystery. And the illumination from the binnacle lamps splashing over the sailor is fabulous.

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The 1f 25 stamp was designed and engraved by Pierre Forget. It features a dynamic scene in which L'hirondelle battles a raging storm. The artist has managed to create a very real sense of fear and impending danger in this stamp.

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The 1f 40 stamp was designed and engraved by Claude Haley. It features a group of researchers, perhaps including Prince Albert himself, out in a longboat, fishing for shrimp.

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The 1f 90 stamp was designed and engraved by Pierre Forget. It features a scene in which the trawl is being hauled aboard for further investigation. 

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The 2f 50 stamp was designed and engraved by Georges Betemps. It features the capture of an oceanic sunfish for analysis.

Stay tuned for the second series of this wonderful set.

Until next time...

Monaco 1978 - 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne

As the saying goes: "all good things must come to an end." But over the last few weeks we have certainly been treated with a lovely set of stamp engravings by Pierre Forget for Monaco, depicting the literary talents of French writer, Jules Verne. Indeed, we have shared time with a mad clockmaker, roamed through the haunted halls of towering chateaus, followed the adventures of dangerous rescue missions across the high seas, and we have even met the odd famous face along the way, including Captain Nemo himself!

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We have now come to the final stamp in Pierre Forget's tribute to Jules Verne, issued by Monaco in 1978. If you wish to have a recap of parts 1-5, simply click on the following links.  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Part 4, Part 5. The final stamp, which has a face value of 5,50f, is listed in the catalogues simply as "Jules Verne and allegories". A description that becomes understandable after viewing the design.

The primary feature of this design is - quite rightly - Jules Verne, himself. Surrounding the great man in a flurry of purple swirls are the seeds of story ideas, concepts made manifest in the form of still images. At the top left flies a capsule bound for the moon. In the top centre we find a less benevolent creation. One of the giant guns from Verne's dystopian story, Les Cinq cents millions de la Bégum (published in English as, The Begum's Fortune). At the bottom of the design, slicing through the swirls of creative thought, we see the sleek lines of Captain Nemo's submarine, Nautilus. The soldier on the horse to the right, I am unsure about. Anyone have any ideas?

Until next time...

Monaco 1978 - 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne (Part 5)

"The sea is the vast reservoir of Nature. The globe began with sea, so to speak; and who knows if it will not end with it?" 

 —Jules Verne

A shipwreck. A message in a bottle containing three cryptic clues. An epic search and rescue mission. All of this and more can be found in the pages of Jules Verne's 1867 novel, Les Enfants du capitaine Grant (The Children of Captain Grant).

The mystery begins when Lord and Lady Glenarvan of Scotland stumble across a message in a bottle. The message has been written by one Captain Grant, whose ship Britannia has gone missing, presumably wrecked. He has left behind two children, Mary and Robert. After finding the bottle, the Glenarvans petition to mount a rescue, but the government refuses. So they decide to do it themselves.  The only real clue they have from what remains of the message from the captain is latitude 37 degrees. So the expedition has no choice but to circumnavigate the 37th parallel south. The only other clues they have are a few words in three languages. These words are, of course, re-interpreted several times throughout the novel to make various destinations seem likely.

The expedition, which includes Lord and Lady Glenarvan and Grant's kids, then sets sail for South America in Lord Glenarvan's yacht, Duncan. Along the way they pick up a passenger, French geographer Jacques Paganel, who has apparently missed his steamer to India by accidentally boarding the Duncan. The expedition explores Patagonia, Tristan da Cunha Island, Amsterdam Island, and Australia.

In Australia they get what they presume to be their first solid clue. They happen upon the quarter-master of Grant's ship, Britannia, Ayrton. Then a series of coincidences that only Jules Verne could contrive occur. Firstly, it is discovered that Ayrton was actually a traitor and he'd been abandoned in Australia. As soon as the expedition members hear this, they discover that Ayrton has hijacked their ship. Believing the ship gone, the team decide to cut their losses and head back to Europe. But then the ship they are on gets wrecked off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand!

After escaping a  Māori tribe, they board a ship ... which just so happens to be the Duncan, their original vessel! Turns out the crew managed to overpower Ayrton and sail away. Then Ayrton bargains for his life by exchanging information on Captain Grant for being left on a nearby deserted island. When they get there, they can't believe their luck. Captain Grant just so happens to be living on that exact island! The successful expedition then sails off into the sunset, leaving Ayrton on the island to fend for himself. Incidentally, the rather devious character, Ayrton, reappears in Verne's later novel, L'Île mystérieuse (The Mysterious Island) published in 1874.

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This is the fifth part in a blog series focusing on the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne stamp set, issued by Monaco on 2 May 1978. To check out the earlier parts, click on the individual parts. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Part 4. This beautiful set of eight stamps was designed and engraved by Pierre Forget. One of the stamps in this set features an artistic interpretation of the novel, Les Enfants du capitaine Grant.

This stunning design features Captain Grant's ship in its death throes amidst a wild storm. Watching over the storm we see two women, who i assume are Lady Glenarvan and Grant's daughter, Mary. The wild blues and melancholy greys make this a rather poignant composition.

Until next time...

Monaco 1978 - 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne (Part 4)

"It is said that the night brings counsel, but it is not said that the counsel is necessarily good." —Jules Verne

High in the Carpathian mountains in Transylvania there stands a castle. A castle believed by those in the surrounding villages to be inhabited by Chort, the personification of the devil. Could this be true? Could the rumours have any validity? Does the devil in fact reside in the mountains of Transylvania? Or is it merely the product of over-imaginative superstitious minds? To seek the answer we must immerse ourselves in the pages of Jules Verne's 1893 novel,  Le Château des Carpathes (The Carpathian Castle).

Our story begins with a peddler who comes across shepherd named, Frik. The pair have an interesting conversation about the mysterious castle in the mountains, and the fantastical rumours of strange phenomena occurring in Frik's village and the nearby castle. The locals attribute these mysterious happenings to the otherworldly inhabitant of said castle. Even the local schoolteacher educates his students on the supernatural happenings in the castle. It is even said that vampires visit the village and werewolves inhabit the surrounding fields. And:

"In the depths of the forests wander the "balauri", gigantic dragons whose jaws gape up at the clouds, and the "zmei" with vast wings, who carry away the daughters of the royal blood."

The peddler seems unconvinced. Frisk continued:

"No one dared visit it. It spread around its terrible epidemic as an unhealthy marsh gives forth its pestilential emanations. Nothing could approach it within a quarter of a mile without risking its life in this world and its salvation in the next."

 Still unconvinced the peddler sells Frik a telescope, and disappears. 

Frik returns to the village, and he shows his friends the telescope. Through it they see something weird going on in the castle. They see smoke and strange lights. Is it supernatural? That night a group of villagers gather in the local pub to discuss the mystery. They decide someone needs to investigate the castle.  They settle on a two man team: the young forester, Nic Deck and Doctor Patak.

The next morning Nic Deck and Dr Patak set out on their journey. After a gruelling trek through the forest, they at last reach the castle just before dark. But they can find no way into the castle. There is no choice but to stay overnight in the woods. It is a horrible night, filled with terrifying lights and sounds and apparitions of strange creatures, while in the background the castle bells toll monotonously, as if summoning the undead from their restless slumber. The next morning the two attempt to get into the castle. Trying the climb the drawbridge chain, Nic slips and falls.

After no sight is seen of the two adventurers, the other villagers who were in the pub with them mount a rescue, all except for the teacher, who is suddenly struck with an attack of gout! Then sometime later the rescuers return with Nic on a stretcher and the doctor alongside. The Doctor relates to the villagers their frightful tale. For the next few days everyone trembles in fear at the thought of the castle. And no one dares work out in the fields.

Then one day a traveller by the name Count Franz de Telek arrives in the village. He is surprised how quiet it is. The villagers tell him about the castle and the adventure of the forester and the doctor. The Count does not believe in the supernatural. He believes there is someone at the castle playing tricks on them. But then when he finds out who owns the castle, he turns white! Baron Rodolphe de Gortz. He knows the baron. It turns out that years earlier, they were rivals for the affections of the celebrated Italian singer, La Stilla. The Count believed that La Stilla was dead, frightened to death while on stage by the strange machinations of Baron Rodolphe de Gortz! But the Baron for some reason had blamed Count Telek for the woman's death. 

Believing that Baron Ropolphe de Gortz is the man behind all this strange phenomena, the Count decides to go to the castle to put a stop to it. So the Count and his faithful servant, Rotzko, retrace the steps the two villagers took just a few days prior. When they reach the castle, the Count is dumbstruck to see a vision of his beloved La Stilla. Could she still be alive? He tells his servant to return to the village, and he sets off. After a desperate climb up into the castle, the Count goes in search of his beloved. He frantically searches the labyrinthine passages of the castle's innards.

After being trapped for a time in a crypt, the Count comes across the manservant of Baron de Gortz, a man named, Orfanik. Orfanik describes at length his master's experiments with the new technology called "electricity". Using electric machines the Baron is able to create all kinds of weird light and sound phenomena. The very phenomena that has had the village living in a state of fear for so long. Baron de Gortz is an evil man. And even more horrifying, the visions of the lady La Stilla are no more than an illusion. A projected still image of a painting of La Stilla, accompanied by a high-quality phonograph recording, creates a ghostly rendition of her. It is all a huge hoax. The moral of the story: there is no such thing as ghouls and science can explain everything! If only that were so!

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This is the fourth part in a series focusing on the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne stamp set, issued by Monaco on 2 May 1978. To check out the earlier parts, click on the individual parts. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. This beautiful set of eight stamps was designed and engraved by Pierre Forget. One of the stamps in this set features an artistic interpretation of the novel, Le Chateau des Carpathes.

This illustration is quite interesting. I can't be absolutely certain which two men are the main feature of the design. Is it the villagers Nick Deck and Dr Patak? Or is it Count Telek and his servant, Rotzko. I tend to think it is the former pair. For in the story,  Deck and Patak are accosted in the forest by all nature of spiritual beings. We can see these phantasms beautifully rendered in green. A prominent creature is the "balauri" found to the left. To the right we see the spiritual manifestation of the beautiful singer, La Stilla. And in the background of the design stands the mysterious castle. Graceful lines and vivid colours create a stunning stamp design, one that would look great attached to any cover!

Until next time...

Monaco 1978 - 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne (Part 3)

"In consequence of inventing machines, men will be devoured by them." 

 —Jules Verne

It all begins with a rather bizarre mystery. An aging clockmaker, named Master Zacharius, is shocked to discover that many of the beautiful clocks he has laboured to create over the years have inexplicably stopped working. He examines each and every clock and can find nothing wrong with them. They should all be working perfectly. But he simply cannot make them run! Why? To discover the answer we need to step into the world of Jules Verne's short story, Master Zacharius or the Clockmaker Who Lost His Soul (Maître Zacharius ou l'horloger qui avait perdu son âme). This story was first published in 1854.

Returning to Master Zacharius and his conundrum, we find him in a deteriorating state of mental health as he struggles to come to terms with the steady stream of broken clocks being returned to him. His daughter Gerande, his apprentice Aubert Thun, and his elderly servant Scholastique, who all live with him, grow increasingly concerned for the old clockmaker's health. Whilst nursing Zacharius, Gerande and Aubert Thun fall in love, an attraction that becomes important as the story progresses.

Then one day the mystery takes a weird twist when a bizarre creature suddenly walks into the village, a creature that is a grotesque amalgam of man and clock. The creature tells Zacharius quite bluntly that he is not long for this world. Zacharius scoffs at this, and replies:

"I, Master Zacharius, cannot die, for, as I have regulated time, time would end with me! … No, I can no more die than the Creator of this universe, that submitted to His laws! I have become His equal, and I have partaken of His power! If God has created eternity, Master Zacharius has created time!"

In a kind of Faustian twist, the creature offers Zacharius a way out of his dilemma. If Zacharius were to give the creature his daughter's hand in marriage, the creature promises to tell him why his clocks have all gone kaput. Zacharius flatly refuses, and the creature disappears.

But things don't get better. Quite the contrary. More clocks are returned and Zacharius' health plummets to dangerous levels. As abruptly as the creature had disappeared, Zacharius disappears from home. After a bit of detective work, his daughter, Gerande, discovers that he has travelled to a castle in Andernatt. The castle houses a grand iron clock made by Zacharius. It is the only clock of his still working. He has journeyed there to see if the clock can provide him any insight into the conundrum. Gerande indeed finds her father at the castle, running about frantically in search of the clock.

Then the old clockmaker finds it. It is a true masterpiece. It has been designed to resemble an old church, and as each new hour strikes, the clock presents a new Christian maxim for its viewers to ponder. But to his horror, the clock is not all that Zacharius finds. The creature is back! Fearing he'll never be rid of this hellish abomination, Zacharius agrees to let the creature have his daughter. Not surprisingly, the daughter is somewhat less than enthusiastic about the arrangement.

Having entered into this dubious arrangement Zacharius believes he has thwarted the creature and in doing so has granted himself immortality. But something strange happens to the clock, seeming to confirm Zacharius' choice. The Christian maxims have been replaced by statements of scientific hubris, such as: "Man ought to become the equal of God," ""Man should be the slave of Science, and sacrifice to it relatives and family."

Then, at the stroke of midnight, just when the wedding ceremony is about to take place, all hell breaks loose. First, a new, death knell, maxim appears on the clock: "Who ever shall attempt to make himself the equal of God, shall be for ever damned!" Suddenly the massive clock bursts, spraying bits and pieces of machinery across the room. Zacharius frantically tries to gather the pieces, believing that the clock, as a whole, represents his soul. But the creature seizes what is left of the clock and disappears again. Seeing this, Zacharius drops dead on the spot. The one good thing that comes of this story is Gerande and Aubert get married and spend their life together. And the diabolical creature is never seen again.

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This is the third part in a series focusing on the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne stamp set, issued by Monaco on 2 May 1978. To check out the earlier parts, click on the individual parts. Part 1, Part 2. This beautiful set of eight stamps was designed and engraved by Pierre Forget. One of the stamps in this set features an artistic interpretation of the short story, Master Zacarius. It illustrates Zacharius holding a rather demonic-looking clock. In the background we see the castle where the final scenes take place. And off to the right stand the frightened couple, Gernade and Aubert. This is quite a magical representation of the story with bright colours and vibrant, energetic lines.

Until next time...

Monaco 1978 - 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne (Part 2)

"A man of merit owes himself to the homage of the rest of mankind who recognize his worth."
—Jules Verne

Strange lights spotted in the night sky the world over. Haunting trumpet sounds that accompany these sightings. Add to this the mysterious appearance of black flags worked with golden suns atop many of the world's most famous monuments, including The Great Pyramid, The Effiel Tower, and The Statue of Liberty. What could all this weirdness be? Aliens with a twisted sense of humour? Not this time. This quirky behaviour is the work of none other than Robur, a brilliant inventor and the main character in Jules Verne's 1886 novel, Robur the Conqueror. 

This blog is the second part in a series focusing on the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne stamp set, issued by Monaco on 2 May 1978. To check out Part 1, click HERE. This beautiful set of eight stamps was designed and engraved by Pierre Forget. One of the stamps in this set features a key scene from the novel Robur the Conqueror.

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The story-line of this novel is rather intriguing considering its year of publication. The central theme of the novel is the argument over the feasibility of heavier-than-air versus lighter-than-air flying craft. But before we go any further with the description of the novel, let's have a look at a bit of history. Since the invention of the hot air balloon in 1783 by Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier in France, inventors had been wracking their brains trying to find a way to successfully propel and steer these craft contrary to wind conditions. In other words, wrest the steering wheel from Mother Nature. For nearly 100 years this seemed an impossible task (Mother Nature had a tight grip on the wheel!). Then in 1886 Gottlieb Daimler created a light-weight gasoline engine suitable for lighter than-air-craft. This engine led Count Zeppelin of Germany to develop a solid-frame craft covered in fabric, powered by two 16 hp Daimler engines. This craft was 416 feet long. This craft, known as the LZ 1, flew successfully for a full 18 minutes in July 1900. It was the first ever airship or "blimp" as we now call such a craft. 

So it was in this early environment of inventors pulling their hair out, searching for controllable lighter-than-air flying craft that Jules Verne's novel is set. In the story, the main character, Robur, is trying to convince the movers and shakers of the Weldon Institute, a flight enthusiasts group in Philadelphia, that lighter-than-air flight is a thing of the past. Robur argues with them that heavier-than-air flying craft is the way of the future - and he has proof! Robur boasts that the strange lights are his new aircraft and that it was he who placed the black flags the the famous monuments. The Weldon guys basically consider him a crackpot and laugh at him.

The arrogant Robur then decides, perhaps rashly, to kidnap the Weldon Institute's secretary, president, and the president's valet, and takes them aboard his new flying machine. Robur calls this machine the Albatross. He explains that it is a multi-rotor gyrodyne with many horizontally-set airscrews to provide lift and two vertically-set airscrews to drive the vessel forward and to provide control. Oh, and the whole apparatus is battery powered! Like a lot of early sci-fi writers, Jules Verne had a rather scarily accurate insight into future technology.

To cut a long story short, the Weldon guys didn't particularly like being kidnapped. Surprise, surprise! And they are ridiculously jealous of this new technology. It far surpasses anything they have designed. In order to exact some Victorian gentlemanly revenge and remove the competition, they decide to blow the ship up and make their escape. Believing this flying craft destroyed, the Weldon Institute wait a few months, then unveil their own new lighter-than-air craft, which is basically a hot air balloon with a small motor (a forerunner to the Zeppelin). They call it Go-Ahead. They launch it and start wowing the crowds with its capabilities.

Unbeknownst to the Weldon guys, Robur has secretly built a second Albatross using parts recovered from the wreck. He appears out of nowhere with his new ship and starts showing the crowds just how much better his craft is by literally running rings around the Go-Ahead. During the competition the two flying craft go higher and higher. Then disaster struck for the Go-Ahead. Its gas bags, unable to handle the altitude, rumble, quiver, and... EXPLODE!  Robur rescues the crew of Go-Ahead.

In one final display of arrogance, Robur then tells the crowds that the world is not ready for his technology yet. And he promptly flies his vessel off into the sunset.

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Now let's look at Pierre Forget's artist impression of the battle in the sky between the two vastly different flying craft. It is stunning work, in my humble opinion. I love Forget's depiction of the moving airscrews. And the great use of red to represent the sense of height and the imminent mortal danger faced by those in the hot air balloon.

Until next time...

Monaco 1978 - 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jules Verne (Part 1)

 "It is certain that the inanimate objects by which you are surrounded have a direct action on the brain."

—Jules Verne

The inanimate objects currently surrounding me just happen to be stamps, stamps celebrating the sesquicentennial of the French sci-fi novelist, Jules Verne (for more on M. Verne click HERE). And I have to say these wonderful engraved stamps are definitely having a direct action on my brain - a very positive one. This set was issued on 2 May 1978 in Monaco, 150 years after the birth of Jules Verne on 8 February 1828 in Nantes, France. This set is quite a large one, consisting 8 stamps, all of which were designed and engraved by Pierre Forget. For the sake of brevity, I will study the first three stamps in the set in this blog. These three stamps focus on the novel, L'Île mystérieuse (The Mysterious Island). 

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The Mysterious Island is a novel set during the Siege of Richmond at the end of the American Civil War in 1865. Five Union soldiers, who are being held as prisoners of war, decide to escape their confinement by hijacking a balloon. Stealthy! Unfortunately for the escapees, the weather is in rather a bad mood. After travelling for some distance over the Pacific Ocean, a storm grabs the balloon and tosses it to ground on a strange uncharted island in the South Pacific. This balloon crash is the subject of the first stamp.

Lucky to be alive, the survivors call their savior 'Lincoln Island' in honour of President Lincoln. Thankfully for the castaways, one of their number happens to be a brilliant engineer (shades of the Professor in Gilligan's Island here!). The engineer, called Smith, managed to produce fire, pottery, bricks, nitroglycerin, iron, a simple electric telegraph. And if that wasn't enough, he designed for them a home on one of the island's cliffs. They called it 'Granite House'. Taking this ridiculous fantasy world even further, they built a seaworthy ship!

As the castaways settle into life on the island - which is starting to sound pretty luxurious to me - a series of strange mysteries begin to unfold. It seems the men have an anonymous benefactor who helps them along with gifts such as weapons and ammunition. And their dog 'Top' is rscued in the water from a dugong by an unseen hand. Just who or what is this deus ex machina (god from the machine)?

Then one day they find a message in a bottle directing them to rescue a castaway on nearby Tabor Island. The group rescue the man, who turns out to be Tom Ayrton, a character from another Verne story In Search of the Castaways. This man was once a crew member on a pirate ship! On their way home they are struggling to find their island in a sudden storm when the mysterious benefactor strikes again. A signal fire has been lit to guide them home.

Things then go rather crazy when the pirate ship also finds the island. After the pirates unsuccessfully attempt to take Granite House their ship suddenly blows up! This brings us to the next stamp. Note the strange silhouette in the water beneath the ship. This is a clue as to the identity of the benefactor.

Rather annoyed with the destruction of their ship, the surviving pirates kidnap Tom Ayrton. Our castaways try to get Aryton back, but one of them,. Harber, is shot, seriously wounding him. He survives, but he's so weak that he contracts malaria. Enter the benefactor again. He leaves a box of quinine sulphate, which saves Haber.

After Harbert recovers, they set out again to rescue Ayrton and destroy the pirates once and for all. When they discover Ayrton he is alive and well, and the pirates are all dead, without any visible wounds. Suddenly, a figure emerges in a strange helmet...

The figure is the mysteriois benefactor in the flesh. He removes his helmet, revealing himself to be none other than... Captain Nemo! After his adventures in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Nemo has sailed his Nautilus (the strange silhouette under the water in the last two stamps) to the island to live in isolation (an idea that didn't work out all that well).

Until next time...