Beschreibung:

[AEROSTATICA] - FAUJAS DE SAINT-FOND, Barthélemy (1741-1819) - Description des expériences de la machine aérostatique de Mm. Montgolfier. Paris: Cuchet, 1784. A fascinating account of the Montgolfier brothers' experiments with the balloon, whose first public demonstrations had taken place the year before. This is the second issue of the first edition of the work, complete with 9 curious engravings: one of these depicts the experiment held in Versailles on 19th September 1783, during which the first living aeronauts flew a sheep, a rooster and a goose. The balloon reached a height of about 500 meters and the flight lasted 8 minutes; King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were also present at the event. 8vo (215 x 135mm). 9 engraved plates at the end, woodcut headpieces (light browning, very rare light spotting, small water stain at the inner margin of gathering S). Contemporary Venetian paper, uncut (light defects). Provenance: Camillo Grassi (bookplate).