Pocock, George.

First edition, 4to (314 x 245mm.), engraved title with hand-coloured aquatint vignette and 3 hand-coloured plates, original boards, printed paper label on upper cover, uncut, [not in Abbey or Tooley], spotting and light offsetting, inscription erased from title, without advertisements, spine expertly repaired, some stains to binding

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Rare. George Pocock, evangelist, schoolmaster and inventor, settled in Bristol where he opened a school for boys, to whom this work is dedicated. He provides a history of kites and details of his experiments with them as auxiliary sails for ships, as a means of rescue in shipwrecks, for signals, crossing rivers and most famously for his patented Char-volant, a kite-powered carriage that could reach speeds of over 20 miles per hour. The author's daughter Martha survived a flight across the Avon in a chair powered by her father's invention of a box kite, to become the mother of cricketer W.G. Grace.