Description des expériences de la machine aérostatique de MM. de Montgolfier
Et de celles auxquelles cette découverte a donné lieu

Published in 1783 and illustrated with fine engravings, this French work illuminates the birth of the hot air balloon.

Barthélemy Faujas de St-Fond (Author)

9781108069601, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 17 July 2014

364 pages, 9 b/w illus.
21.5 x 14 x 2 cm, 0.4 kg

The French geologist and traveller Barthélemy Faujas de Saint-Fond (1741–1819) was a strong supporter of the aerostatic experiments of the Montgolfier brothers, seeking to publicise their pioneering endeavours in this 1783 work. Exploiting the principle that hot air is lighter than cold, the Montgolfiers developed and demonstrated their hot air balloons to great acclaim. In this collection of reports, Faujas presents the details of each experiment, describing the balloons as well as potential improvements. Where possible, he specifies the position of witnesses, precise timings and viewing angles. A number of finely engraved plates enhance the work, giving readers a flavour of the spectacle that impressed contemporary observers. Faujas published a second volume, containing additional accounts and illustrations, in 1784. His Minéralogie des volcans (1784) and Essai de géologie (1803–9) are also reissued in this series.

Discours préliminaire
Avis au lecteur
The accounts
Plates.

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX]