Last updated: June 26, 2024

English Book Sets/Series

Sampson Low

Books for Boys: Taj/Onion Dome - Monkey/Jungle - Big Ship

This Series of books were produced by Sampson Low from the around 1914 into the 1930`s.
Since it is very hard to distinguish which series these covers are in from Catalogue listings of the period,
I have given each design my own designation (Taj / Monkey / Big Ship).

Three different cover designs look this this:
Taj / Onion Dome Monkey / Jungle Big Ship

The cover designs come in 2 styles: Colour and Plain Outline:

The Colour and Plain Outline styles, look like this:
Colour - Taj Colour - Monkey Colour - Big Ship
Plain - Taj Plain - Monkey Plain - Big Ship

**** It has been discovered (Philip Hollaway / Andrew Nash - April 2023) that the COLOUR version of a title will only be 1 of the 3 possible designs.
i.e. IF there is a TAJ Colour Cover, there will NOT be a Colour Monkey or a Colour Big Ship Colour cover for that Title!!!

The plain cover design is NOT unique to Jules Verne:

FULL List of Titles for each of the Colour Cover designs

*** These Sampson Low COLOUR covers were ONLY used for Jules Verne titles!!! ***
COLOUR
Taj/Onion Dome		 COLOUR
Monkey/Jungle		 COLOUR
Big Ship
  1. Around the World in Eighty Days
  2. The Clipper of the Clouds
  3. Dropped From the Clouds
  4. Five Weeks in a Balloon
  5. The Lottery Ticket (and The Vanished Diamond)
  6. The Lottery Ticket and The Begums Fortune
  7. The Lottery Ticket (and The Flight to France)
  8. The Lottery Ticket (and The Archipelago on Fire)
  9. *** The Lottery Ticket*** Unclear if this exists on its own!
  1. The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians
  2. Burbank the Northerner
  3. The Child of the Cavern
  4. The Cryptogram
  5. From the Earth to the Moon
  6. Hector Servadac
  7. Purchase of the North Pole
  8. The Secret of the Island
  9. Texar the Southerner
  10. Tigers and Traitors
  11. Round the Moon
  12. The Vanished Diamond
  1. Abandoned
  2. Adrift in the Pacific
  3. The Archipelago on Fire
  4. The Blockade Runners
  5. 800 Leagues up the Amazon
  6. The Floating City
  7. The Floating Island
  8. Godfrey Morgan
  9. Mathias Sandorf
  10. Survivors of the Chancellor
  11. Twenty Thouand Leagues Under the Sea
..

SPINES

The earliest Colour covers had the Title on the Spine in Gilt.
These date from 1914/1915.

Research: A Colour-Taj Five Weeks, with Black lettered spine Title, has a catalogue in the rear, with an ad saying "Jeffrey Farnol's new Novel will be entitled Beltane the Smith and may be expected in the Autumn". With some digging, Philip Hollaway has found this book was released in August 1915, SO the Black Lettered Five Weeks Spine was published at least before that, AND thus we can assume that the Gilt lettered Five Weeks spine was discontinued before that!, thus the estimate of 1914/1915 for the Gilt lettered spines! ALSO a Colour-Big Ship Abandoned, has a Gilt lettered spine, and the book is inscribed 1915.

Examples:

The Gilt lettered Spine Titles include:

  1. Abandoned
  2. Clipper of the Clouds
  3. The Cryptogram
  4. Dropped From the Clouds
  5. 800 Leagues on the Amazon
  6. Five Weeks in a Balloon
  7. The Floating Island
  8. The Purchase of the North Pole
  9. Round the Moon
  10. Tigers and Traitors

The Black lettered Title spines would date from 1915 onwards.

17 Examples:

Look at the base of the spines above for the GIlt AND the Black Title spines!!!

There are TWO Publisher styles:

  • Gilt Spine Title and Early Black Spine Title: Double line,
    "Sampson Low,
    Martson and Co."
  • Later Black Spine Title: Single Line,
    "Sampson Low"

SO: Earlier printed books, have the double Publisher name, including "Marston and Co."

I bought the below two books as a complete North Against South Pair!
As you see, they are both Black Spine Title
BUT Texar has a 1 line Publisher (Sampson Low) and
Burbank has a 2 line Publisher (Sampson Low Marston & Co.

SO, the Burbank, was published BEFORE the Texar, since the Double Line Publisher
is Earlier than the Single Line!

Plain Outline Cover

The Plain Outline cover "may" be found in EACH of the 3 designs.

*** These Sampson Low Outline-Plain covers were NOT only for Jules Verne titles!!! ***

Thus, SOME titles actually have a Colour cover, and ALL three Outline variants!

At the moment (May 2023),
the only titles discovered with all 4 variants of the cover are:
Colour "any" design Outline Taj Outline Monkey Outline Big Ship
Clipper of the Clouds
Secret of the Island
The Vanished Diamond

Jump to a chart of ALL KNOWN Covers in these 3 series.

Spine Design

The Coloured Cover designs use one of 8 Spine designs, and most correspond in some way to the Title:

The EIGHT images on the Spines of the Colour Covers
Balloon Taj Castle Tree Tiger Polar Bear Ship Cannon/Moon

The Plain-Outline Cover designs use one of 4 Spine designs, and the Correspondence to the Title is more random:

Castle / Mont St Michel Tree Tiger Ship

Spine Image usage for Colour Cover Designs
Spine Image Titles with that Corresponding Spine Image
Balloon
  • The Lottery Ticket (Cover-Taj)
  • Five Weeks in a Balloon (Cover-Taj)
  • Dropped From the Clouds (Cover-Taj)
  • The Clipper of the Clouds (Cover-Taj)
Taj
  • Around the World in Eighty Days (Cover-Taj)
Castle / Mont st Michel
  • The Floating Island (Cover-Big Ship)
  • Floating City (Cover - Big Ship)
Tree / Vine
  • Abandoned (Cover-Big Ship)
Tiger
  • The Vanished Diamond (Cover-Monkey)
  • The Child of the Cavern (Cover-Monkey)
  • Burbank the Northerner (Cover-Monkey)
  • Texar the Southerner (Cover-Monkey)
  • The Cryptogram (Cover-Monkey)
  • Tigers and Traitors (Cover-Monkey)
Polar Bear
  • The Purchase of the North Pole (Cover-Monkey)
  • Adventures of Three Englishmen (Cover-Monkey)
Ship
  • 800 Leagues Up the Amazon (Cover-Big Ship)
  • The Archipelago on Fire (Cover-Big Ship)
  • Adrift in the Pacific (Cover-Big Ship)
  • The Blockade Runners (Cover-Big Ship)
  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Cover-Big Ship)
  • Godfrey Morgan (Cover-Big Ship)
  • Mathias Sandorf (Cover-Big Ship)
Cannon/Moon
  • Hector Servadac (Cover-Monkey)
  • From the Earth to the Moon (Cover-Monkey)
  • Round the Moon (Cover-Monkey)
NO Colour Cover seen
for these Titles
  • Mystery of the Franklin
  • Michael Strogoff
  • Fur Country
  • Flight to France
  • The End of Nana Sahib
  • Dick Sands
  • A Winter Amid the Ice

Brass Printing Plate

The Brass Printing plate for the Taj Onion Dome covers has been found.

There probably were more than one, given the number of books that were printed with that cover.,
but it certainly is a good find, for a collector.

Collection Andrew Nash

Chart of ALL Colour and Outline Covers

The below chart shows ALL COLOUR and ALL OUTLINE Covers

Colour Cover - & Outline Taj & Outline Monkey & Outline Big Ship Checklist

Word Doc Checklist - V5 - June 19, 2024
Excel Spreadsheet - V5 - June 19. 2024

PDF - Taj/Monkey/Big Ship analysis (V9 - 13/05/2024)
Num. Title Colour Cover Taj
- Outline Cover		 Monkey
- Outline Cover		 Big Ship
- Outline Cover
1. Abandoned

Includes GILT Spine

  • Red Cloth
  • Red Cloth with Gilt Spine
2. Adventures of Three Englishmen

AKA:
Three
Englishmen
and Three
Russians

  • Tan Cloth
  • Red Cloth
3. Adrift in the Pacific
  • Tan Cloth
  • Red Cloth
4. Archipelago on Fire
  • Red Cloth
5. Around the World in Eighty Days

- This Colour cover has been seen in 2 different colour variations:

  • Red Cloth
  • Tan Cloth

6. The Blockade Runners
  • Green Cloth
7. Burbank the Northerner
  • Rose Cloth

Note: The Cloth on this book, is more Pink, than the "Reds" of these books
8. The Child of the Cavern
  • Light Green Cloth
9. The Clipper of the Clouds

Includes GILT Spine

- This Colour cover has been seen in 3 different colour variations:

  • Dark Blue Cloth
  • Light Blue Cloth
  • Tan Cloth



10. The Cryptogram

Includes GILT Spine

  • Tan Cloth
  • Light Green Cloth with Gilt Spine
11. Dick Sands
12. Dropped From the Clouds

Includes GILT Spine

- This Colour cover has been seen in 2 different colour variations:

  • Dark Blue Cloth with Gilt Spine
  • Light Green Cloth
  • Red Cloth
  • "Brick" Cloth

13. 800 Leagues on the Amazon

Includes GILT Spine

  • Tan Cloth (?)
  • Light Green Cloth with Gilt Spine
  • Red Cloth
  • "Brick" Cloth
14. The End of Nana Sahib

Why is there no COLOUR cover of this?
This is the mate to Tigers and Traitors! This volume is only part 1 of The Steam House.
15. Five Weeks in a Balloon

Includes GILT Spine

  • Tan Cloth with Gilt Spine
  • Red Cloth
  • "Brick" Cloth

16. The Flight to France
17. A Floating City
  • Light Green Cloth
18. The Floating City and the Blockade Runners
19. The Floating Island

Includes GILT Spine

- This Colour cover has been seen in 2 different colour base bindings:

  • Tan Cloth
  • Light Blue Cloth with Gilt Spine
  • Red Cloth
  • Light Blue Cloth

20. From the earth to the Moon
  • Light Blue Cloth
  • Tan Cloth

21. From the Earth to the Moon and a Trip Around It
  • Red Cloth
22. The Fur Country
  • "Brick" Cloth

23. Godfrey Morgan
  • Tan Cloth
  • Red Cloth
24. Hector Servadac
  • Red Cloth
  • Tan Cloth
25. The Lottery Ticket
  • Tan Cloth
26. The Lottery Ticket and the Archipelago on Fire
  • Tan Cloth
27. The Lottery Ticket and The Begums Fortune
  • Light Green Cloth
28. The Lottery Ticket and the Flight to France
  • Tan Cloth
29. The Lottery Ticket and The Vanished Diamond
  • Tan Cloth
30. Mathias Sandorf

- Light Green Cloth

Note: This cover has a different Font from ALL the other books
31. Michael Strogoff
  • Red Cloth

Outline Big Ship - Tree & Ship spine
32. The Mysteriy of the 'Franklin'
  • Red Cloth
33. Purchase of the North Pole

Includes GILT Spine

  • Light Blue Cloth
  • Green Cloth
  • Red Cloth with Gilt Spine

34. Round the Moon

Includes GILT Spine

  • Tan Cloth
35. The Secret of the Island
  • Light Blue Cloth
36. Survivors of the Chancellor
  • Tan Cloth
37. Texar the Southerner
  • Light Blue Cloth
38. Tigers and Traitors

Includes GILT Spine

- Light Blue Cloth with Gilt Spine

THIS is only part 2 of the Steam House story. End of Nana Sahib is part 1.
39. The Tribulations of a Chinaman
  • Red Cloth
40. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
  • Red Cloth
  • "Brick" Cloth
41. The Vanished Diamond
  • Tan Cloth
  • Red Cloth
  • Light Blue Cloth
42. A Winter Amid the Ice

AKA:
A Winter
Amid the
Ice and
Other
Stories

  • Red Cloth
  • Blue Cloth

Colour Cover - & Outline Taj & Outline Monkey & Outline Big Ship Checklist

Word Doc Checklist - V5 - June 19, 2024
Excel Spreadsheet - V5 - June 19. 2024

PDF - Taj/Monkey/Big Ship analysis (V9 - 13/05/2024)

Tips to Dating Taj / Monkey / Big ship Books
(Since there are NO dates in ANY of these books)

  • Inscriptions really help here!!!

  • 1914/1915 - Gilt Title on Spine of a Colour Cover book - seen inscribed Xmas 1915

  • near 1914/1915 - MDCCXCIV (1794) Sampson Low Endpapers (but not always)

  • 1916 to 1924 - Black Title on Spine of a Colour Cover book

  • Book printed early (teens 1914-1919(?) ) if 2 Line Publisher, base of spine!

  • 1922 onwards - Outline Cover begins (to late 1930's and at least Monkey to late 1940's)

  • 1922/1923 – Colour Covers phased out

  • 1923/1924 (and later) - MDCCXCIV (1794) Sampson Low Logo on Title page

  • 1926 onwards - Jules Verne Bio in rear of book (seen with 1926 School Bookplate)
Re Collection Andrew Nash:
Among many Ta,j Monkey, Big Ship editions in my collection, I have:
  • "Complete Set" of Clipper of the Clouds
    1)-Colour Taj -gilt spine (dj), 2)-Ouline Taj, 3)-Outline Monkey, 4)-Outline Big Ship
  • Colour Set - all 3 Cover Designs - Mysterious Island:
    1)-Colour Taj Dropped from the Clouds, 2)-Colour Big Ship Abandoned, 3)-Colour Monkey Secret of the Island
  • Outline Set - all 3 Cover Designs - Mysterious Island:
    1)-    Outline Big Ship Dropped From the Clouds, 2)-Outline Taj Abandoned (dj), 3)-Outline Monkey Secret of the Island
  • Vanished Diamond: Colour Monkey, Outline Monkey
  • ... and Mathias Sandorf, Godfrey Morgan, Fur Country (dj)
  • Brass Printing Plate - Taj / Onion Dome

 
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