Illustration for 'The War of the Worlds', chapter 15

The title illustration for the French translation and first French illustrated edition of of The War of the Worlds (La guerre des mondes). Printed in France in 1906. Only 500 copies were printed of this edition, each signed by the Brazilian artist, Corrêa.

The caption for this illustration is "Alors, le Marsien qui se trouvait le plus près de nous éleva son tube et le déchargea, à la manière d’un canon, avec un bruit sourd qui fit trembler le sol. Le Marsien qui était près de Staines lui répondit. Il n’y eut ni flammes ni fumée, rien que cette lourde détonation."

The English language version equivalent is "And then the Martian beside us raised his tube on high and discharged it, gunwise, with a heavy report that made the ground heave. The one towards Staines answered him. There was no flash, no smoke, simply that loaded detonation."