History of Aviation Science Early Ballooning Theory Charles Blachford Mansfield Aerial Navigation 1877

Charles Mansfield

First Edition

Mansfield, Charles Blachford. Aerial Navigation, 1877, a scientific treatise addressing the technical and theoretical challenges of controlled flight at a time when lighter than air ballooning dominated aerial experimentation. Written by chemist Charles Blachford Mansfield and issued posthumously, the work advances early consideration of propulsion, steering, and mechanical control in the air, moving beyond passive balloon drift toward the problem of directed navigation. Mansfield applies chemical and physical reasoning to questions of lift, motive force, and atmospheric resistance, situating the text within mid nineteenth century efforts to transform aerial ascent into practical transportation.

Mansfield, Charles Blachford. Aerial Navigation. London: Macmillan & Co., 1877. First edition. The volume includes a second title leaf reading “Aerial Navigation The Problem with Hints for its Solution by Ithi Kefalende,” reflecting the work’s earlier conceptual framing. Comprising xxiii, [1], 513 pages, the text presents extended analysis of balloon construction, propulsion systems, and theoretical models for powered flight, drawing on Mansfield’s background in chemistry, including his work on coal tar derivatives and theoretical studies such as Theory of Salts. Though composed in the early 1850s, the manuscript was not published until after Mansfield’s death following a laboratory accident, preserving a body of research that engaged directly with the limitations of contemporary aeronautical practice.

Issued during a period when ballooning remained dependent on wind currents, Mansfield’s work contributes to the intellectual foundation that later supported the development of controllable aircraft. The text engages with the legacy of earlier balloon experiments while anticipating the transition toward powered aviation that would emerge at the end of the nineteenth century. By addressing propulsion and navigational control, the work reflects broader scientific inquiry into engineering problems that would define modern aeronautics. Rebound in modern half calf with marbled boards and gilt spine label; text clean and stable with light handling wear. Overall very good condition.

Item #17702

Price: $855.00