A Narrative of the Two Aerial Voyages of Doctor Jeffries with Monsieur Blanchard

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London: Printed for the author and sold [by J.Robson], 1786. First Edition. Brockett 6577; Gamble 4878. Lacking the frontispiece. 11.25" x 9". 4 + 60 pp + 1. 3/4 morocco and marbled boards, spine lettered in gilt. Some darkening and marginal staining to the contents, minor soiling, title page worn and chipped with repairs, plate of The Column marginally chipped, backed with tissue. Old ink inscription at title page top: "Walter Cumming {?} from his friend George Jeffrey". 1906 rubberstamp of Boston Medical Library at center of title page. Overall, very good. One of the rarest of English-language pieces on lighter-than-air aviation. Two Aerial Voyages is Dr. Jeffries' account of his two historic ballooning voyages: "The first voyage, on the Thirtieth of November, 1784, from London to Kent; The Second, on the Seventh of January, 1785, from England into France." The landing spot, in the Forest of Guines, in France, is memorialized by "The Column" (rear engraving). A historic rarity on two counts: it is the first English-language treatise on aeronautics by an American, and it's the record of the first crossing of the English Channel by a balloonist. LG8. Seller Inventory # 000444

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