Very interesting lot of one book and five prints regarding air balloons. The book is the rare first edition of the first flight of a hot air balloon by de Montgolfier in 1783. Written by Faujas de Saint Fond. It is complete and in very good condition. Comes in later beautiful binding and all nine plates regarding the event. Then there is the very rare and desired optical print of the actual start of the flight. Expérience fait à Versailles le 19 Sept 1783, 19 Sept 1783. Vue d'optique print depicts the launch of the de Montgolfier brother's balloon on September 19, 1783. The ascent took place at the Palace of Versailles in France and the royal family was present for the launch. The first living creatures to fly, a duck, a rooster, and a sheep, ventured aloft in a wicker cage dangling beneath the balloon. All three of the animals survived and helped to demonstrate that balloon flight was safe for humans. A Vue d'optique print such as this is used in a device called a zograscope which employs a mirror and lens to give the viewer a sense of depth and perspective. Also dating of 1783 and in great condition. Another optical print depicts a flight with an air balloon in the form of a fish. Poisson Aerostatique, 10 March, 1784. The etching depicts a landscape scene of two towns, "Coria" and "Plazentia," in Spain, flanking a river, both equipped with castles. A small gathering in the foreground watch as a balloon, shaped like a saw-fish, and ridden by three men with giant leaf-like paddles, passes over head. It is original hand colored and also in good condition. Also part of this lot is a colored lithograph of the 'Aeriel,' the Aerial Steam Carriage designed by John Stringfellow and William Samuel Henson, flying over a city and river. Dating from about 1850. Then there is a two sided flyer/poster about the ascention of Mr. Kirsch on the 30th of October 1842 in Bordeaux. And the last print is a lithograph edited by V. Louet from Paris and printed by Emile Graff, Créteil. It was used on a huge pamflet for a “ Grande Fête Acrobatique” in 1898. The Great Acrobatic Party is a grandiose event indeed, as one can glean from the exhaustive list of events presented By M. Gilbert. All in all a great lot of beautiful and rare, to very rare, print work, regarding the history of early hot air balloon flight.