The Life and Astonishing Adventures of John Daniel
London: Robert Holden, 1926. Large octavo, original blue cloth with gilt lettering; xvi, 276 pp., plates. One corner of the boards has been bumped, otherwise a very nice copy with the dust-jacket. One of the first 'flying machine' adventures, combining lunar adventure with the imaginary voyage genre. Attributed to one Ralph Morris with scan evidence, this book was first published in 1751 as A Narrative of the Life and Astonishing Adventures of John Daniel, A Smith at Royston in Hertfordshire. A second edition followed in 1770, with a slightly amended title and some revision of the text.
This handsomely printed edition of 1926 features bizarre (and somewhat dystopian) plates. Colonel Gimbel collection catalogue, page 70. Item #4128
Price (AUD): $175.00