La photographie en ballon. Avec une épreuve photoglyptique du cliché obtenu par MM. Gaston Tissandier et Jacques Ducom, à 600 mètres au-dessus de l'île Saint-Louis, à Paris. Et 8 figures dans le texte.

8vo: front.-vii-[1 bl.]-52-[1] pp. (some foxing, soiling to occ. upper corners, very pale damp stain).

Mod. half black morroco, gilt marbled paper on covers, gilt titled spine with two raised bands orn. with a central tool depicting Icarus, red top-edge, wr. pres.

First edition, complete with the first aerial photograph published in a book. The photo was taken by the author and photographer Jacques Ducom above the Île Saint-Louis in Paris at a height of 600 meters. Protected with a tissue guard showing a map of the island. This work features experiments with taking photos from a balloon, starting with Nadar in 1858, René Dragon, Triboulet, Paul Desmarets, etc. and finishing with his son Paul Nadar in 1886. Illustrated with 3 full-page ill. and in-text. The aviator, chemist and meteorologist Gaston Tissandier (1843-1899) escaped from besieged Paris on a balloon in September 1870. In 1883, he added an electric motor to an airship, creating the first electric-powered flight. He is the author of several books and of a bibliography on aeronautics. Enriched with a leaf containing ms. notes and calculations in French.
Ref. Tissandier, Bibliogr. aéronautique, p. 37. - Maggs Bros., 316.