Marrin's Bookshop

Synopsis

Illustrated with five hundred and thirty-three engravings, revised, rewritten, and reillustrated with many additions by john mastin.

Item Description

8vo. 8.5 x 5.75 inches. viii + [ii] + 680 pp. Bound in original blue cloth, gilt with pictorial gilt block of monoplane on front board. A little wear to extremities, including corners and head and tail of spine, occasional traces of light foxing, and a few chips out of lower margins; otherwise a very good copy. Faint early signature on first free endpaper. Illustrated by photographic frontispiece protected by tissue guard and throughout by 518 text figures. Decorated by publisher's device on title page. A work of popular science and technology with an emphasis on practical experiments, including some that would now be considered highly dangerous to try at home, even assuming one could obtain the materials. It was first published in 1860, by John Henry Pepper (1821-1900), a lecturer and demonstrator, whose sometimes spectacular performances were highly regarded at the time. The title was several times revised, in this edition by John Mastin of Sheffield (1865-1932), artist, inventor and author, to include recent advances in subjects like radioactivity and aviation.