Scrapbook of early aeronautica / collected by William Upcott

About the Project

Binder's title Collection of prints, newspaper and journal clippings, mss., separately published tracts, and printed ephemera (in various sizes) connected with the early years of aeronautics, primarily ballooning Arranged in roughly chronological order, e.g., v. 1 has material mostly from ca. 1783-1802; v. 2 mostly from 1785-1837; and v. 3 mostly from 1837-1840. However, each v. also includes materials from dates outside of these ranges Page [423] is signed: "William Upcott of Islington, collector of engravings connected with aerostation." Text mostly in English, with some French language materials Originally unbound. cf. Cat. of the Library of W. Upcott, London, 1846.

Long before the dawn of flight, the human imagination has dreamed of breaking the confines of gravity to soar through the air. In 1783, advances through experimentation, trial and error, and inspired invention finally made the dream a reality with the Montgolfier brothers’ successful balloon ascensions, with animals and aeronauts alike soaring into the air--launching the age of ballooning and the daredevil aeronaut. This first volume of William Upcott’s scrapbook of early aeronautica contains correspondence, clippings, ephemera, articles and illustrations, which cover early experiments, adventures and inventions in aeronautics starting with the Montgolfier brothers. Highlights of the scrapbook include: Jean-Pierre Blanchard’s attempts at navigable balloon, the short story The Man in the Moon, and early experiments in parachuting.

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Completed!

Project Progress (details)

323 pages completed

Contributing
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323

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pages