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The Comical History of the States and Empires of the World of the Moon, Written in French by Cyrano Bergerac. And newly Englished by A. Lovell, A.M. (1st volume only [of 2])

The Comical History of the States and Empires of the World of the Moon, Written in French by Cyrano Bergerac. And newly Englished by A. Lovell, A.M. (1st volume only [of 2])

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The Comical History of the States and Empires of the World of the Moon, Written in French by Cyrano Bergerac. And newly Englished by A. Lovell, A.M. (1st volume only [of 2])

by Cyrano de Bergerac

  • Used
  • first
Condition
Very Good-
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About This Item

London: Printed for Henry Rhodes, next door to the Swan-Tavern, near Bride-Lane in Fleet Street, 1687. Early editont in English. 140. Very Good-. Considered one of the very earliest science fiction stories, The Comical History of the States and Empires of the World of the Moon was the first of three satirical novels written by Cyrano de Bergerac. It was originally published posthumously in 1657 and, along with its companion work The States and Empires of the Sun.  Arthur C. Clarke credited the book with the first description of rocket-powered spaceflight, and with the invention of the ramjet.
The book is narrated in the first person by a character also named Cyrano.

Cyrano attempts to reach the Moon to prove there is a civilization that sees the Earth as its own moon. He launches himself into the sky from Paris by strapping bottles of dew to his body, but lands back on Earth. Believing he had traveled straight up and down, he is confused by local soldiers who tell him he is not in France; they escort him to the provincial governor who informs him that it is in fact New France. The narrator explains to the governor that all matter is formed inside and expelled from stars, and that once the Sun has run out of fuel it will consume the planets and restart the cycle. He uses New France as evidence for this theory, claiming that it had only recently been discovered by European explorers because the Sun had only recently sent it to Earth.


The narrator tries again to reach the Moon, this time with a flying machine that he launches off the edge of a cliff. Though the craft crashes, local soldiers attach rockets to it, hoping that it will fly to celebrate the feast day of St. John the Baptist. Dismayed at this use of his machine, the narrator attempts to dismantle it while the fuse is lit, but the machine takes off and sends him into space. He meets the Moon's inhabitants, who have four legs, musical voices, and fantastical weapons that cook game for a meal as it's shot. The Moon inhabitants give names made of musical notes.


This is the first edition in English, part 1 only (of 2).  It lacks the engraved frontispiece, the upper corner of the last page is torn, with loss of page numbers but has been repaired.  The text throughout is lightly browned, and there is occasional spotting or finger-marking.  Minor tears along the page fore edges.  It has been bound in 20th century library-type buckram, but there are no visible indications that it was ever ex-libris.
In very good minus condition for a book 337 years old

. FM.

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Details

Bookseller
Stanley Louis Remarkable Books (IOBA) US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
AA99
Title
The Comical History of the States and Empires of the World of the Moon, Written in French by Cyrano Bergerac. And newly Englished by A. Lovell, A.M. (1st volume only [of 2])
Author
Cyrano de Bergerac
Format/Binding
140
Book Condition
Used - Very Good-
Quantity Available
1
Edition
Early editont in English
Publisher
Printed for Henry Rhodes, next door to the Swan-Tavern, near Bride-Lane in Fleet Street
Place of Publication
London
Date Published
1687
Weight
0.00 lbs

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About the Seller

Stanley Louis Remarkable Books (IOBA)

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2015
Saint Charles, Illinois

About Stanley Louis Remarkable Books (IOBA)

Seller of high quality books and ephemera, emphasizing older and unusual items, such as signed or association copies. I try to offer the kind of books, at fair prices, that appeal to me, hoping that they will appeal to others also.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

First Edition
In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Buckram
A plain weave fabric normally made from cotton or linen which is stiffened with starch or other chemicals to cover the book...
New
A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
Edges
The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...

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