The Steam House - Jules Verne - Les Voyages Extraordinaires - Hetzel Collection, Paris - circa 1880, first edition in French - illustrated by Benett - 28 cm x 20 cm - condition: very good, in the original publisher's binding with gilt elements, slight discoloration on the spine, one of the corners is slightly damaged (see photo), all plates and illustrations present. The Steam House (French: La Maison à Vapeur) is an intriguing novel by Jules Verne from 1880, which describes the adventures of a group of British colonists in the Raj, traveling in a house on wheels pulled by a steam-powered mechanical elephant. Verne uses this mechanical house as a fascinating plot device to take the reader on a journey through 19th-century India. The descriptions are richly interwoven with historical information and social commentary. The story takes place in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against British rule, with emotions and traumas still running high among both the Indians and the British. The book was also known by another title – The End of Nana Sahib – which refers to the appearance of the historical figure Nana Sahib, the rebel leader who disappeared after the suppression of the rebellion. His ultimate fate remains unknown, and Verne offers a fictional explanation for his disappearance.