Adrift in the Stratosphere

We recently found a small nothing that turned out to be a very interesting something after a little research. Adrift in the Stratosphere by Archibald Montgomery Low, inventor, brief media celebrity, almost the creator of the television, the video phone and the first unmanned radio controlled plane.

Called 'The Father of Radio Guidance', A M Low has a chequered history. He pioneered many areas in physics and engineering but his lack of focus meant that he rarely finished a project, his contemporaries disliking him for his use of the title 'Professor' (without a academic post) and his love of publicity. He is responsible for one of the earliest forms of television (the TeleVista), before his work was interrupted by WWI and he joined the Royal Flying Corps where his designs led to numerous breakthroughs. During various down periods he tried to create works to introduce the laymen and the younger generations to the world of scientific discovery.

Which brings us neatly back round to the reason for this post, Adrift in the Stratosphere is one of only four fictions that Low wrote, all intended for a much younger audience. Adrift' is a story of aliens from Mars, interstellar flight, fantastical technology based on Low's own belief on the future of technology.

Basement Alchemy and Home made Dragons

So there's a fresh pile of stock coming in soon including a few new sidelines that will definitely be featured on this blog.

For now that let's have a look at an exciting little work, 'The Mysteries of Nature and Art' by John Bate written in 1634. This work is attributed with being one of the inspirations for a young Isaac Newton, a man who on multiple occasions ended up walking home having abandoned the family horse in town due to being too stuck in a book.

'The Mysteries' is a collection of experiments and realisations about physics and chemistry, but what its focused on is telling you how to make a variety of fireworks, water wheels and other exercises for the mind.

This is actually a collection of smaller books, each dedicated to an area of experimentation including natural science, fireworks and creating pigments.

An old Journey to a New world

Here's a classic and no mistake, Arthur Conan Doyles 'The Lost World'. The founding piece for an entire genre of long lost Dinosaurs and secret worlds.

This classic piece of pulp is not only worth a read but worth a good look as it is filled with illustrations or 'photographs' from the fateful expedition.

This is more of our recent expansion out into Science fiction and pulpy classics. Check us out on Biblio for this and other fantastic books

Magnificent facial hair

Illustrated throughout

New Stock

Had a whole load of fresh books arrive today, a good assortment of Literature and Natural Science. This lot gave us some grief to get back to the office but I'd say it was worth it in the end. As always you can expect to find these up on the Website and Biblio within the next couple of weeks after we've given them a good dusting and check up.

Here's just a few of the treasures we found:

• A four volume Cuvier, published by Henderson.

• Edward Donovan's 'History of British Insects'.

• Hibberd's 'Familiar Wild Flowers'.

• A variety of Anne Pratt wild flowers.

• An early Bentley edition of Jane Austen 'Sense and Sensibility'.

• Culpepper English Physician, enlarged - 1676.