Zetetic Astronomy. Earth Not a Globe. An Experimental Inquiry

3, Savoy Street, Strand, London : John B. Day , 1873. 1873 at title page. Stated Second Edition - Revised and Enlarged. Black modern buckram (cloth) boards, gilt impressed spine titles, light shelf wear. Pages very good with attractive toning. Small circular stamp at title page and few others: "Discard Authorized April 1985". Illustrated throughout with informative diagrams and designs by George Davey; and, each chapter is followed with a decorative vignette. Bind fine; hinges intact. Thick white endpapers; few pencilled notes at front blank endpaper. Adjacent "Parallax" at title page someone has signed in pencil: "John Hampden"; apparently as the author's potential identity. Actually, John Hampden was a Christian polemicist and leading advocate of Rowbotham. Hampden gained notoriety engaging in raucous public debates with endorsed scientists of the day. A bet involving the prominent naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in the famous Bedford Level experiment led to several lawsuits. Full title: "Zetetic Astronomy. Earth Not A Globe. An Experimental Inquiry into the True Figure of the Earth, Proving It a Plane, without Orbital or Axial Motion, and the Only Known Material World; Its True Position in the Universe, Comparatively Recent Formation, Present Chemical Condition, and Approaching Destruction by Fire. &c., &c., &c. By 'Parallax.' Author of 'Patriarchal Longevity,' and other works; and founder of the Modern Zetetic Philosophy. The Illustrations by George Davey, F.Z.S." This fleshed out second edition began as a sixteen-page pamphlet in 1849, then was expanded into the 1865 first edition, and this revised and enlarged second edition was published in 1873. Contents: "Chapter I. Zetetic and Theoretic Defined and Compared; II. Experiments Demonstrating the True Form of Standing Water, and Proving the Earth to be a Plane; III. The Earth and Axial or Orbital Motion; IV. The True Form and Magnitude of the Earth; V. The True Distance of the Sun; VI. The Sun's Motion Concentric with Polar Centre; VII. The Sun's Path Expands and Contracts Daily for Six Months Alternately; VIII. Cause of Day and Night, Winter and Summer, and the Long Alternations of Light and Darkness at the Northern Centre; IX. Cause of Sunrise and Sunset; X. Cause of Sun Appearing Larger when Rising and Setting Than at Noonday; XI. Cause of Solar and Lunar Eclipses; XII. The Cause of Tides; XIII. The Earth's True Position in the Universe; Comparatively Recent Formation; Present Chemical Condition, and Approaching Destruction by Fire; XIV. Examination of the So-Called Proofs of the Earth's Rotundity; Why a Ship's Hull Disappears Before the Masthead; XV. General Summary - Application - 'Cui Bono?'" Also, in truth-seeking zetetic manner is fourteen-page section at end offering "Opinions of the Press" entitled "'Parallax' and His Teachings." Final printed page is advert with future map and title from Rowbotham: "The New Map of the World (Zetetic Projection), with Moveable Disc, Illustrating the True Cause of Various Phenomena." And, "The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ Zetetically Considered. Showing the Foundations of Religion and the Realities of Christianity." Includes a detailed fourteen-page index. Printed by John B. Day, "Savoy Steam Press," Savoy Street, Strand. 430 pages. Insured post.. Second Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good. Illus. by Davey, F.Z.S., George . 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" Tall.