[Rarebooks] FS: Lovely copy of John Wise's A SYSTEM OF AERONAUTICS, 1850, with lithographs

[Charles Agvent]

 From our new Internet-only Catalogue which has just been posted on our 
website: http://www.erols.com/agvent
It contains 57 AVIATION & SPACE items including a selection of books 
from the library of leading World War I Ace Eddie Rickenbacker, as well 
as books signed by Neil Armstrong, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, 
and Antoine Saint Exupery, and some interesting 19th century aviation 
material.

WISE,  John. A SYSTEM OF AERONAUTICS, COMPREHENDING ITS  EARLIEST
INVESTIGATIONS,  AND MODERN PRACTICE AND ART.... Philadelphia:  Joseph
A.  Speel  1850. First Edition. DESIGNED AS A HISTORY FOR  THE  COMMON
READER,  AND  GUIDE  TO  THE  STUDENT OF  THE  ART.  IN  THREE  PARTS.
CONTAINING  AN ACCOUNT OF THE VARIOUS ATTEMPTS IN THE ART OF FLYING BY
ARTIFICIAL  MEANS,  FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD DOWN TO THE DISCOVERY  OF
THE  AERONAUTIC  MACHINE BY THE MONTGOLFIERS, IN 1782, AND TO A  LATER
PERIOD.  WITH A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AUTHOR'S FIFTEEN YEARS EXPERIENCE
IN  AERIAL  VOYAGES.  ALSO,  FULL INSTRUCTIONS IN THE  ART  OF  MAKING
BALLOONS,  PARACHUTES, ETC. ETC., AS ADAPTED TO THE PRACTICE OF AERIAL
NAVIGATION,  AND DIRECTIONS TO PREPARE EXPERIMENTAL BALLOONS.  Octavo,
in  original  brown  cloth;  310 pages with  Errata  slip  tipped  in.
Illustrated   with  an  engraved   frontispiece  portrait  and  twelve
lithographic  plates,  most  illustrating  famous  balloons.  Wise  is
considered  to  be  the first American aeronaut  of  any  consequence.
Scattered  light to moderate foxing with little effect on the  plates.
Very  light wear to the spine head, the cloth bright and fresh.  Close
to Fine and quite scarce as such.                             $1500.00

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