Ballooning as a Sport.

First Edition. 8vo., [10], xx, 136, 32, pp., in the original mid-blue pictorial cloth, spine faded, extremities worn. Frontispiece and two other plates. William Blackwood and Sons,

One of the founder of Scouting's younger brothers, Baden Baden-Powell joined the Scots Guards in 1882, served with the Guards Camel Corps on the Nile in 1884-5 and was with his regiment on the Staff throughout the Boer War. He witnessed his first balloon ascent in 1880 and became a passionate advocate of aviation. He developed man-lifting kites in the 1890s, and was for some years President of the Aeronautical Society, in the year following the publication of the present work he made his first fixed-wing flight with Wilbur Wright.

This copy with the ownership inscription of Hugh Oswald Short of Short Brothers beneath an author's compliments slip on the front free endpaper. His later bookplate - with Pegasus, a balloon and a Short Sunderland - to the front pastedown. Short built his first passenger-carrying balloon in partnership with his brother Eustace at Hove in 1901. In the early years of the century they provided balloons for the Government of India and sold to Rolls, Sopwith and Lord Brabazon. Moving into aeroplane production in 1909 the firm was chosen by Wilbur Wright to build Model A "Flyers" in Britain and in 1911 they provided the Royal Navy's first two aircraft. His great innovation was the use of "stressed skin" construction, first employed on the "Silver Streak".

A series of interesting contemporary news-clippings loosely inserted. One a review of the book, two others relating to the loss of Lieuts Martin-Leake and Caulfeild of the Army Ballooning Section in a balloon over the channel. Attractive association copy of a scarce book.

Stock Code: 85720