The Face of Mystery

Pictured is the cover of one of the 16 $5 books I purchased earlier this week.

Published in 1899, Mystery of the Pacific, by William Henry Oliphant Smeaton, is an adventure novel about a British schooner crew that discovers a mysterious, uncharted island inhabited by a lost, technologically advanced civilization with Roman-like customs, forcing the sailors to confront cultural clashes and unravel the island's secrets while dealing with internal mutiny. It's a work of adventure fiction, considered an early example of science fiction, and “is known for its exploration themes, vivid descriptions, and cultural misunderstandings”. 

Mystery of the Pacific was illustrated by Walter Paget, who was a popular illustrator of serialized novels, and there’s an interesting story here.  It seems Walter Paget was the original choice of publisher George Newnes to illustrate Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories in The Strand Magazine, but through a misunderstanding the commission went to his brother, Sidney.When Sidney came to draw Sherlock Holmes, he is said to have used Walter as his model.  Photo of Walter Paget, below, and Sidney Paget’s illustration of Sherlock Holmes.