first edition
N.d. [ca 1886] · New York
by COLLINGWOOD, Harry (pseud. William Joseph Cosens Lancaster)
New York: Scribner and Welford, N.d. [ca 1886]. First American Edition. Octavo (19cm). Publisher's pictorial beveled cloth-covered boards; [8],[9]-384pp + 24pp publisher's catalog. A lovely copy, straight and virtually free of wear, with pictorial elements on spine and front cover still sharp and vivid, Near Fine. 24-pp Scribner & Welford catalog, "Books for Young People," bound in following text, dated Christmas, 1886. Presumably preceded by the London edition (Blackie, 1886).
A technological fantasy story for juvenile readers, the first of the author's three "Flying Fish" novels. Collingwood/Lancaster (1843-1922), an engineer by training, was a prolific writer of juvenile boy's stories, many on nautical themes but only a few venturing into the fantasy realm. Like many British juvenile authors of the period, Collingwood emphasized traditional Tory principles of supremacy, pluck and empire, dreary stuff somewhat salvaged in the present instance by his working knowledge of contemporary scientific advances used to construct a convincing, if speculative, near-future technological setting. REGINALD p.111; BLEILER CHECKLIST (1979) p.46 (both citing the London edition). (Inventory #: 55164)
A technological fantasy story for juvenile readers, the first of the author's three "Flying Fish" novels. Collingwood/Lancaster (1843-1922), an engineer by training, was a prolific writer of juvenile boy's stories, many on nautical themes but only a few venturing into the fantasy realm. Like many British juvenile authors of the period, Collingwood emphasized traditional Tory principles of supremacy, pluck and empire, dreary stuff somewhat salvaged in the present instance by his working knowledge of contemporary scientific advances used to construct a convincing, if speculative, near-future technological setting. REGINALD p.111; BLEILER CHECKLIST (1979) p.46 (both citing the London edition). (Inventory #: 55164)