Astra Castra

Published in 1865, this work is a compendium of aeronautical literature ranging from ancient mythology to scientific advances of the 1860s. Christopher Hatton Turnor, the compiler, reviewed ballooning and other lighter-than-air flight, with some references to heavier-than-air flight attempts. The work contains 12 chapters with 22 portraits of balloonists and lists the names of the first 500 people to ascend in balloons, giving the dates and places of their first ascents. It also notes that ten of the balloonists had died in ballooning accidents. The pages are gilt-edged. This book was part of the collection of the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences before being donated to the Smithsonian Libraries.